Op-Ed: Ridgecrest Neighborhood weighs in on light rail station at 145th

Planning is beginning for the light rail station at 145th and residents are urged to come to planning meetings and express their opinions

My name is Stefanie Gendreau. I am writing this letter on behalf of the Ridgecrest Neighborhood Association (RNA) Board of Directors, to express our opinions regarding the light rail station at 145th Street, the proposed parking structure, and what we envision for our neighborhood in the future.

The development of this project will result in an unfortunate loss of homes for some of our residents and a unexpected change in lifestyle for others, so we are sensitive to the challenge this change brings to a number of our neighbors. Although some of us still feel a station at 155th would have served the residents of southern Shoreline more effectively, without a doubt, we are excited about light rail coming to Shoreline and the potential benefits to the Ridgecrest neighborhood.

Ridgecrest is the largest single-family neighborhood in Shoreline and we are proud of it. We are an eclectic mix of long-time homeowners who raised families and retired here and new, first-time homeowners with young families, that moved here for the schools and neighborhood atmosphere. We watch movies at the Crest and drink coffee at Cafe Aroma. We are walkers, runners, bicyclists, and park-goers, and we criss-cross our neighborhood streets with regularity. Change is coming, but our neighbors are adamant that the safety, sense of community, and single-family identity not be trampled by poorly planned transit and overwhelming development.

The City of Shoreline has a huge opportunity to implement forward-thinking transit ideas and plan for elegant density. For many reasons, we strongly encourage the City Council and staff to reconsider their support of a 500+ space parking structure. The result of an endless stream of individual commuters flowing from cities outside of Shoreline into our small neighborhood will overwhelm the capacity of our residential streets, strain the resources of our City, and greatly affect the quality of life of our neighbors. Instead, we would propose a much smaller garage in conjunction with a residential parking permit system and offer these ideas to effectively move commuters to and from the light rail station:

• Increase the capacity of existing park and ride lots in Shoreline and Seattle.
• Expand the number of park and ride lots, utilizing many large, empty church parking lots, including in the Parkwood Neighborhood and in North Seattle on 5th and 15th NE.
• Implement a robust shuttle system from park and ride lots and area business hubs.
• Encourage bicycle commuting by enhancing existing trails and establishing new routes utilizing neighborhood parks and side-streets.
• Secure the safety of pedestrian and bicycle commuters by insisting on a pedestrian/bike bridge over I-5, connecting communities west of I-5 to the station and over 145th, connecting to the new trails that circumvent Jackson Park.
• Insist on a large amount of bicycle storage space available at the station.
• Implement "pay to park" for vehicles, again to encourage alternate methods of reaching the station.

We understand that ridership requirements exist for each station to make the stop financially viable but turning the largest Shoreline neighborhood into a car-centric transit hub for the region doesn't benefit the citizens of Ridgecrest, Parkwood, or Shoreline. We implore the Council to make bold moves now to protect what our citizens love about Shoreline neighborhoods.

Now that Otak has been secured as the consultant for the 145th station area, we will work to communicate our vision of compact, mixed-use development of the main thoroughfares, connecting to the 165th/5th NE business hub, with a focus on independent and local businesses.

Regardless of varying opinions about garage size or density planning, we are unanimous in what is important to the residents of the Ridgecrest Neighborhood;

• A station design that does not overpower the single-family neighborhood.
• Inclusion of a green space around the station to offset the loss of a portion of Ridgecrest Park.
• A multi-use community space as mitigation for parking structure.
• A parking structure that has adequate and safe facilities for bicycles (access, storage, etc.).
• An effective solution for traffic control, including enhanced signal controls.
• The development of a robust sidewalk and biking network on both main and residential streets.
• An increase in street lighting and effective crosswalk signals.
• Effective noise mitigation, including the detailed study of sound that travels up the ridge, (hence our RIDGEcrest name) into the heart of our neighborhood.
• The addition of mature trees and plantings to replace trees that will need to be removed and to help alleviate sound impacts.
• More frequent service by KC Metro during peak travel times, with a focus on an increase of east/west routes.

As the project moves forward, the Ridgecrest Neighborhood Association will continue to be part of the visioning process and will work within our neighborhood to be a conduit for information between our residents and both Sound Transit and the City of Shoreline.

We are both excited and optimistic that we can work together to create a successful segment of the Link light rail system through Shoreline that best serves Shoreline residents (more specifically Ridgecrest Neighborhood residents) and enhances regional mobility for all.