Winston Churchill once said: “To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.” While perfection may remain elusive, it’s heartening to see our region boldly move forward with its designs on a network of light rail routes that are slowly connecting north, south, east and west.
In the decade-plus living in Seattle, I have seen some remarkable growth. We have welcomed dozens of new residential high-rises and life-changing landmarks from our remodeled arena and expanded convention center to the exciting developments on the waterfront.
Local leaders, anticipating a marked population increase in the early 2000s, and voters saw a need to improve our public transit options more extensively across King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Seattle opened its first Link light rail stations in 2009 from Westlake Station in downtown Seattle to Tukwila before adding the SeaTac Airport stop a year later. Over the years, stations have been added south of the airport and north of downtown.
Now totaling 19 stations, the so-called 1 Line is adding more connections with another 19 stations planned for a 2024 opening. They include vital transit stops north of the city and into Snohomish County – presenting a unique opportunity for people to move within close distance of more efficient transportation. (Project timelines were extended since this article was published.)
What’s on tap? The Link rail system will expand to include stations east to Bellevue, north to Lynnwood and south to Federal Way. These lines will add capacity to carry as many as 143,000 passengers daily.
At a tune of $3.1B, the addition of five stations along an 8.5-mile stretch north of the recently opened Northgate Station – with one at Northeast 130th Street coming about two years after the others – is of notable interest for two reasons. The rail line hugs the north-south I-5 corridor, a visual reminder of the new option for drivers frustrated by the steering-wheel-gripping stretch of road. Plus, the new stations will open opportunities in South Snohomish County for people to reach downtown Seattle in roughly 30 minutes.
The average suburbanite supposedly drives 3366 more miles than a city dweller in our region. That figure should drop once the stations begin to take passengers.
In addition to single-family homes (of which there are several hundred), condo communities offer a great option to live within a short walk of the new stations. The condos include a mix of apartment conversions, purpose-built condominiums and townhome communities with traditional condo rules and monthly dues. Here is a look at the new stations north of Seattle and for-sale options:
NORTHEAST 130TH STREET (target open 2026)
Two condo conversions are within walking distance of this station, which is surrounded mostly by a park, golf course and Douglas firs. Forté offers 48 units at 840 Northeast 125th Street and Bridgehaven features an outdoor pool for its 85-unit community at 13033 15th Avenue Northeast. A purpose-built 38-unit condo, Pegasus, is a 15-minute walk to the new station from its memorable 12345 Roosevelt Way Northeast address. A similar distance away, the Nora, is a new, 43-residence townhome community at 12522 15th Avenue Northeast.
SHORELINE SOUTH
Moving north, Shoreline is a go-to destination for young professionals seeking their first home and within a short distance of beaches, parks and great restaurants. Most condos in this area feature rows of townhomes – many built within the last few years. They include The Towns on 145th at 14537 1st Avenue Northeast and Paramount Park at 14520 12th Avenue Northeast. Plus, 5 Degrees has started pre-sales of its 70-home townhome community at 14704 Meridian Avenue North.
SHORELINE NORTH
Apartment conversions include Northridge Village, a 63-unit community at 18100 15th Avenue Northeast, and Park Place, with 24 units right next door at 18200 15th Avenue Northeast. Looking for something new? Scout and Shoreline Vista are selling their townhome developments with plans to open this year at 1321 North 185th Street and 18521 1st Avenue Northeast, respectively.
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE
Other than apartments and single-family homes, few condo/townhome options currently exist within walking distance of this station along I-5. One, 56th Avenue Square, offers 17 residences within an easy walk of the new station, which also features a large parking garage for drivers.
LYNNWOOD CITY CENTER
The largest and most ambitious redevelopment is taking place in Lynnwood, including plans to reinvent the area with a mix of commercial/retail, entertainment and residential space less than a half-mile from the new rail station. The developer behind one of its most talked-about projects – Northline Village – has yet to break ground as it seeks more investors.
City leaders are moving toward creating a “lifestyle center” with the rail line as a key component and two large parking garages. Most of the residences will be rentals, including plans for more than 1100 units – with one taking over the old Lynnwood High School – in the coming years.
Nearby purchase options include a 1969-built apartment conversion, Islandia, with 120 homes at 5620 200th Street Southwest; Cedar Creek, built in 1978 with 76 units, at 4800 200th Street Southwest; and, the 30-unit Carlyle, built in 2003 at 19412 48th Avenue West.
At the starting point of the new extension, Northgate is attracting a great deal of attention from home shoppers as well. And can you blame them?
Northgate Mall has been magically replaced by three sheets of ice for the Kraken Community Iceplex. Plans are well underway to add dining options, retail, medical facilities, office space, hotels and up to 1200 residential units in the near term (all believed to be apartments) and about an acre of green space. Longer-term, the immediate area will be home to some 4000 residences while generating about 5200 new jobs (up from the current 1250), according to landowner Simon Properties.
Building a public transportation system that is reliable, affordable and efficient is vital to the success of every metro area – particularly one like ours that experiences continued population growth while the area’s roads struggle to withstand the nonstop use of tens of thousands of vehicles a day. This only underscores the need for a seamless and reliable rail network throughout our region.
When it opens, likely in 2024, the East Link extension will transport people between Seattle’s Westlake station and downtown Redmond via Bellevue in 45 minutes. The 2 Line will be the world’s first to cross a floating bridge (I-90).
At the same time, the original rail line will extend in 2024 from Angle Lake, south of the airport, to the Federal Way Transit Center through Des Moines.
Beyond 2024, Sound Transit will continue to deliver additional rail options, including a new tunnel in downtown Seattle with additional stations and connections to Ballard and West Seattle. The 3 Line will include stops in SODO, Delridge, Avalon and Alaska Junction. Additional stops are planned for Denny Triangle, South Lake Union, Uptown (Climate Pledge Arena), Smith Cove and Interbay.
There is so much to be hopeful for as the rail lines are connected and new homes suddenly become within a walk – and not a drive – to an array of stations. I can’t wait for what the future holds!
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“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”
– President John F. Kennedy