LIGHT RAIL: West Seattle ‘further studies’ items get briefest of briefings

By Tracy Document
West Seattle Weblog editor

Towards the top of a four-hour assembly at present, the West Seattle portion of Sound Transit‘s light-rail “additional research” briefing lasted just some minutes. That was not completely shocking, since the remainder of the briefing for the ST Board’s System Enlargement Committee included sections for which huge choices have but to be made.”Gotta fish or minimize bait fairly quickly right here” is how ST board member Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell put it relating to these choices. ‘

However the briefing did illuminate a number of issues for the West Seattle phase. For one, ST employees put ahead a potential “end-to-end situation” that integrated two of the three “studied” potentialities for West Seattle – transferring the doorway to the Junction station and shifting the Delridge alignment – however didn’t embrace the potential removing of the Avalon station. That doesn’t imply that is what employees is essentially formally proposing or supporting, but it surely’s price noting that it’s what they confirmed for example.

Earlier than attending to that slide, ST’s Cathal Ridge confirmed slides going again by the three West Seattle “additional research” proposals (defined on this memo). Probably the most detailed was the potential Delridge “refinement,” which Ridge mentioned had been evolving as design work proceeded:

Right here’s the “up to date idea” addressing a number of the Delridge station considerations:

One other main concern that had come up earlier within the course of was the potential results on Transitional Assets, a nonprofit serving individuals residing with behavioral-health challenges, with providers and amenities together with supportive housing. As this slide confirmed, the present alignment goes proper by the center of its operations:

The “refinement” proven at present wouldn’t completely spare Transitional Assets, however would cut back the foremost impact to at least one smaller property, Ridge mentioned:

Uphill from there, he had little elaboration about the opportunity of dropping the Avalon station, past what this slide exhibits:

Earlier within the assembly, main off the public-comment part, Metropolis Councilmember Lisa Herbold urged board members to consider how elimination of the Avalon station may have an effect on low-income Excessive Level residents needing to get to mild rail. Meantime, again to the final “additional research” space, listed below are the slides proven for the potential relocation of the Junction station entrance:

This feature, it was clarified in response to a query, would solely transfer the doorway, not the station itself.

So what’s subsequent? For the West Seattle gadgets, that’s up within the air. No vote is required (till the vote later this yr that finalizes “the challenge to be constructed,” after the Last Environmental Influence Assertion comes out). The board does must vote on a “most well-liked various” for the remainder of the West Seattle/Ballard extensions, past SODO, and is predicted to do this subsequent month. One factor we do know is that they’re nonetheless taking group suggestions on all of the “additional research” gadgets (see the complete 134-page slide deck right here) and can get a abstract on the full board’s February twenty third assembly, so for those who really feel strongly about a number of of those potential modifications, now’s the time to say one thing. Right here’s a survey, open for yet another week (till February seventeenth), additionally reachable from the “additional research” part of the West Seattle/Ballard Hyperlink Extensions web site.