SEATTLE'S BIG MISTAKE  https://youtu.be/AlKGIRm4S70

Keep the promises that Sound Transit 3 made to the region’s voters in 2016! A late-breaking alternative proposal squanders the potential of a world-class transit hub near Union Station and — once again — skip First Hill entirely. Don't disconnect the system!

So much transit connectivity is contingent on having the Ballard-to-Tacoma line connect directly with the existing CID Station along with the Sounder, Amtrak station, regional buses, and the streetcar line next door. The CID is the most important hub in the Sound Transit 3 network, which is projected to carry 600,000 daily riders by the 2040s.

Answers to Objections to CID 4th and Midtown Stations:

Displacement: Most of the low-income residents in the CID already live in affordable housing that is rent-restricted; the CID has special affordable housing development providers, and a review board for this protected historic district. The Board has the ability to limit real estate speculation within its boundaries. 

Business Decline: Good transit access and a bustling transit hub at the edge of the CID is key to thriving small business, like in San Francisco's Chinatown. Ensure small businesses and residents have robust mitigations during and post station construction.

Advantages of CID 4th Avenue and Midtown Stations

One and Done: Building on 4th Ave. S should occur with upgrading all of the aging, deteriorating bridges and viaducts in the area in one fell swoop, e.g., the 2nd Avenue S Extension bridge replacement. Bundling projects sense.

ETOD opportunities for the County Campus exists now; it is already next to Pioneer Square Station. The County should use its campus to add mixed-income housing. The “South of CID” site is bad for housing due to the enormous I-90/I-5 interchange with no walk shed to the west, south, or east. Buying this property at a high price is a bad move. These two sites are proposed because they are convenient for the County to offload or move the Jail to.

Worst Feature of N&S of CID Stations: inequity, marginalization, discrimination:

Not building CID 4th Ave. Station breaks the CID's direct light rail connection to the South End, continuing the long painful history of marginalizing/isolating communities of color because the burden of a disconnected system falls disproportionately on BIPOC communities in the south to Tacoma and to the Eastside. Coming from the south, trains won't go to Chinatown Station anymore, but instead to Jail Station or Freeway Interchange Station, by passing communities of color.  That connection is vital for the CID as the cultural hub of the Asian community. For CID residents (including over 1200+ seniors), a hub station provides a link to relatives and friends, access to hospitals and health care via the Midtown Station, and to the airport. It means significant delays in the 15-20 minute range for many trips, e.g., Rainier Beach to CID, depending on rider mobility--a disaster for those using wheelchairs and walkers.

Conclusion: Almost 5,000 individuals and organizations have already called for Sound Transit Board action to: build the 4th Avenue CID and Midtown stations (change.org/moveforwardon4th). 

Build the 4th Avenue and Midtown stations! They offer connectivity to all lines and neighborhoods and will best serve decades of transit riders of all ethnicities equally, from across the Puget Sound region.