Sheridan Market: History and concerns for the future

The Sheridan Market 15348 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park

Victory Way Revisited: The Sheridan Market, Bsche’tla Creek, and Why We Need More Core Testing Before ST3 Expansion

By Paula Goode
Owner of the Historic Sheridan Market, Listed on the Washington Heritage Register

A Bridge Between the Past and the Future

The Sheridan Market stands as a living thread between Lake Forest Park’s vibrant past and its uncertain future. Originally known as Babb’s Ranch, then Briar Crest Lodge, and later the Sheridan Market, our property sits along what was once Victory Way—renamed in 1920 to honor our World War I veterans. Today, this stretch of Bothell Way NE (SR 522) faces yet another transformation, this time from the ST3 Bus Rapid Transit project.

We support transit. We support progress. But we also believe in safety—real, demonstrable safety that comes from doing the job right. And that means testing the ground we’re building on.

The historic Sheridan Market

A Brief History: From Fried Chicken to Vinyl Records

Our corner of Bothell Way has always been a place of gathering—first with Jack Babb’s famous fried chicken and dancehall in the 1910s, then through the Prohibition-era roadhouse Briar Crest Lodge, and finally as the Sheridan Market, opened by Edward Jahoda in 1953. For decades, this property has been a center for music, food, and community.

Today, the Sheridan Market continues that legacy—not as a full grocery store (thanks to that unforgiving center divider installed in 2006), but as a Market Café and roadhouse-style venue hosting musicians, artists, and community events. We’ve poured years of sweat equity into preserving this historic space—and we’re proud that in 2022, it was listed on the Washington Heritage Register.

But all of that history sits near the edge of a slope… one that is more fragile than most people realize.

Bsche’tla Creek and the Ghosts Beneath the Pavement

Behind the Sheridan Market flows Bsche’tla Creek—once known as a “brookside creek,” and one of the many remaining salmon streams still on the WSDOT remediation list. The bridge over this creek was originally widened and filled in 1919–1920 with 30,000 cubic yards of dirt and asphalt fill—one of King County’s largest fill projects of its time in the early 1900’s.

That fill is still there. You can see it plainly if you walk the properties along 522 between NE 153rd and 155th as well as in my backyard, and the yards next to me. But you won’t find any recent core samples of that fill near the rim of the bridge—where the new BAT (Business Access Transit) lanes are supposed to go.

WSDOT has performed a LIDAR survey - a ground penetrating laser technology

Sound Transit has only performed geotechnical borings near the centerline of the roadway, not along the outer lanes. Why? They haven’t said. But it’s hard not to ask: What are they afraid of finding? They will not do any benchmark readings of the structures at the Sheridan either, even though we have also had to spend in excess of $35,000 stabilizing one of the 3 structures on our property due to slip.

This Is a Known Risk Area

Let’s be clear: This isn’t hypothetical.In 1996, just two houses down from Sheridan, a catastrophic slope failure occurred during home construction. That structure sat uninhabitable for nearly 30 years, and to this day, the back end remains completely collapsed.

A proposed condo development one lot over had its geotechnical work rejected by the city due to instability from excessive fill.

Across the street at King County’s Woodland North Apartments, slope failure forced an expensive stabilization project—and even now, their parking lot is slipping.

All this tells us that Bsche’tla Creek sits in a sensitive, unstable zone with a long history of movement. It would be gross negligence to proceed with expanding the SR 522 span across this bridge without further core drilling near the outer rim.

Electric Buses Are Heavier. The Fill is Lighter. What Could Go Wrong?

Sound Transit plans to remove the original fill beneath the sidewalks and replace it with “lighter” material to support the new electric buses—buses that weigh up to 48,000 pounds, significantly more than their diesel predecessors.

Less stable fill. More weight. And yet… no updated testing along the edges.

When you combine known slope instability, historic fill, and the documented movement of land toward Bsche’tla Creek, you get a ticking clock. The failure of this span would not only damage a historic property but could cause cars, buses, and entire households to collapse into a creek that sits roughly 100 feet below. It would also devastate downstream habitats and flood zones all the way to Lake Washington.

We don’t need another Oso. We need diligence. We need transparency. And we need Sound Transit to do the job right—before the first shovel hits the ground.

A Simple Ask: Drill a Few More Feet

We are not opposing progress. We are asking for one simple, scientifically sound precaution: Perform the core drilling along the rim of the proposed BAT lane corridor. Not just the centerline. Not just near the edges. The actual outer rim where real people walk, bike, drive, and live.

Because once the bridge fails, it’s too late.

Let’s make sure we’re building something worthy of the name “Victory Way”—a road that doesn’t just honor our past, but safeguards our future.

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In response to the concerns about core sampling, Sound Transit said:

"We have completed our geotechnical analysis and have concurrence on our design approach from WSDOT, and are continuing to move forwards towards delivering a modern, high-capacity transit service for residents of Lake Forest Park and the rest of the Stride 3 corridor."