Sound Transit kicks off TOD project

In Seattle, residential and commercial development is planned around a new light rail station.

Sound Transit joined developer Gerding Edlen and the Capitol Hill community in a groundbreaking celebration for The Capitol Hill Station Development, a transit-oriented, mixed-income and mixed-use development project that will surround the Capitol Hill light rail station when it opens in 2020.

The event was co-hosted by project partners Gerding Edlen, Bentall Kennedy, Capitol Hill Housing, Capitol Hill Champion, Capitol Hill Neighborhood Farmers Market and The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway.

“This day has been a long time coming but will be worth the wait,” said Sound Transit Chief Executive Officer Peter Rogoff. “The vision for our Link station site developed by Gerding Edlen and the Capitol Hill community will create the kind of vibrant neighborhood improvements that we will be looking to facilitate as we expand our bus and rail services throughout the region.”

The event kicked off the start of construction of the transit-oriented development (TOD) project designed to transform the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Located atop the new Capitol Hill Light Rail Station, the four-building development will provide 428 apartments, 178 of which will be affordable; 210 underground parking spaces; a community room available for public use, and approximately 30,000 square feet of ground-level retail. A centerpiece public plaza will serve as the home of Capitol Hill Neighborhood Farmers Market and a venue for other community events.

Gerding Edlen was selected by Sound Transit as the Master Developer for all four sites through a competitive process. Sound Transit will ground lease Sites A, B-South and C to Gerding Edlen, and sell site B-North to Capitol Hill Housing, Gerding Edlen’s co-developer for the site. Bentall Kennedy’s U.S. Core Fund will serve as Gerding Edlen’s joint venture partner on Sites A, B-South and C. The Capitol Hill Station Development is a Federal Transit Administration joint development project.

In April, the Sound Transit Board adopted an updated policy for equitable transit oriented development (TOD). The policy guides the use of property that remains as surplus after voter-approved transit investments are complete for projects that provide housing for families of various sizes and income levels and increase access to social and economic opportunities. Consistent with regional growth plans, the updated policy focuses urban growth at transit centers and commits Sound Transit to work with local communities and stakeholders to develop projects on surplus property, while also encouraging TOD in nearby areas.