Sound Transit University Link
Capitol Hill Station
N
Transit-Oriented Development Community Forum
October 27, 2009
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Forum Agenda
6:00 pm Open House
6:15 pm Presentation
• Capitol Hill Station/TOD intro
• Nagle Extension/Farmers Market
– Q & A, discussion
• Parking
– Q & A, discussion
• Next Steps and How to Stay Informed
7:45 pm Return to Open House
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University Link
• 3.15-mile extension of Initial
Segment and Airport Link
– Capitol Hill Station
– UW Station and crossover
• Schedule
– Design: completed early 2009
– Construction: 6.5 years
– System testing: 6 months
– Open for service: 2016
• Adds 70,000 daily riders,
114,000 riders systemwide
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Capitol Hill Station
• Underground station
with 3 entrances
• Construction staging
area - station and
tunnel excavation at site
• Ridership: 14,000 daily
boardings
• Travel time:
– 6 minutes to downtown
Seattle (University St.)
– 3 minutes to UW Station
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TOD Outreach Process
• Sound Transit hosting quarterly community forums to
gather public input on Capitol Hill Station TOD topics:
March 2009 October 27, 2009
• TOD work program • Nagle Extension design
• Community uses • Parking
June 2009 Future Forums
• Housing • Urban design & streetscape
• Retail • Green building
• Redevelopment vision
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June Community Forum Recap
• Housing and Retail
– Small group discussions
• Survey
• Comments and survey results at
www.soundtransit.org/CapitolHillTOD
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Housing and Retail Survey
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Tonight’s Program
• Nagle Place Extension/Farmers Market
• TOD Site Parking
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Nagle Extension
• Provides station maintenance and operations access
• Provides delivery vehicle and underground parking
access for TOD Site A
Nagle Extension
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Broadway Farmers Market
• Sunday Market is popular with 6 years of continued growth
• Currently at temporary site; Market is seeking permanent,
long-term home
• Market requested consideration of Nagle Extension for long-
term use after station completed in 2016
• Community support for Market in TOD forums
• Sound Transit staff have completed initial assessment of
Market request
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Farmers Market
Sound Transit Staff Preliminary Conclusions
• Sound Transit supports use of Nagle Extension for long-
term Broadway Farmers Market home
– Does not compromise station requirements or TOD project plans
– Market’s requirements appear to be “doable” at minimal design or
construction costs
– Market would attract additional ridership to station
– Market would increase appeal of adjacent TOD sites (retail and
housing) and further activate area
– Consistent with Sound Transit
sustainability goals and supports
Market’s sustainability mission
– Strong public support
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Farmers Market Design Considerations
• Additional work to address Market and TOD requirements:
– TOD parking garage and delivery access and hours
– Roadway width of 40-45’ for 2 rows of stalls and 20’ fire lane
– Market space for 50 vendors
NAGLE EXTENSION
Potential Farmers
Market Stalls
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Nagle Extension – Other Design
Considerations
• Use of street trees, other “Green Factor” elements
• Designate as private street to address security concerns
• Sound Transit may design street; have developer(s) build it
Nagle Extension
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Farmers Market – Next Steps
• Continue code/policy reviews
• Advance design of Nagle
Extension to confirm access
and parking needs, refine
Market configuration
• ST Board update in January
• Community update at January
TOD forum
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Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance Representatives
• Chris Cassidy, NFMA Board President
• John Howell – Cedar River Group
ST Board Central Link Oversight Committee Chair
• Larry Phillips, King County Council
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Questions? Comments?
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Parking at Capitol Hill TOD Sites
• TOD sites - limited underground parking for site
tenants and retail customers
• Parking amount & configuration determined
through developer proposal and design process
• No commuter parking at Capitol Hill Station
• No commercial public parking at Station
– Inconsistent with ST’s transit mission
– Not financially feasible
– Light rail reduces need for parking
– Inconsistent with pedestrian environment
– FTA funds not eligible for constructing commercial
parking
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Parking Alternatives
• Sound Transit looking to reduce total parking
inventory on sites
• Alternatives to individual car parking
– Increase access to and from neighborhood and Station
– Still attractive to developers/lenders
– Encourage sustainability
• Sound Transit will encourage or require
developers to provide alternatives to reduce car
parking needs
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Shared Parking
• Depending on types of uses in developments,
parking can be shared between users at different
times of day
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Zip Car
• Zip Cars shared between users
for limited specific needs
– Users no longer need personal
cars and associated parking
– Users rely on transit, walking or
bicycling other times
Electric Car Charging Stations
• Provides sustainable alternative to regular car
parking
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Resident Financial Incentives
• Residential parking fees separate, not bundled
in overall rents
• Options for residents to forego parking space for
transit pass discounts
Shopper Incentives
• Discounts from retailers for shoppers using transit
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Transit Information
• Property managers provide location for transit info
– Transit routes and information
– Ride-sharing opportunities
– Bicycle services and facilities info
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Capitol Hill Station Bicycle Parking
• Bike parking needed for light rail users
– Station west entrance to have approx. 50 rack spaces
• Sound Transit considering additional bicycle parking to
meet future station demand
– ST creating Bicycle Parking and Access Plan
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TOD Bicycle Parking
• TOD site bike parking:
– Below-grade bike parking for tenants and/or public
– Street level bike parking for customers
• ST may require developers to integrate add’l bike parking
• ST/developers may seek bike parking grant opportunities
or partnerships
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Questions? Comments?
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Next Steps
• Next community forum - January 2010
– Farmers Market update
– Urban design, streetscape
– Green Building
• Wrap-up forum – February (TBD)
– Redevelopment vision synthesis
– Moving forward
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How to Stay Informed
• Sound Transit Capitol Hill TOD website
www.soundtransit.org/CapitolHillTOD
• Monthly electronic newsletters
www.soundtransit.org/subscribe
• ST project and outreach staff contacts
 TOD – Michelle Ginder, Project Development Coordinator,
michelle.ginder@soundtransit.org
 Construction – Rhonda Dixon, Community Outreach
Coordinator, rhonda.dixon@soundtransit.org
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TOD Work Program Schedule
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