Rethink sites for light rail stations in South Lake Union

On Thursday, the Sound Transit System Expansion Committee will discuss the feasibility of light rail station locations in the South Lake Union and Denny Triangle neighborhoods. The decision could devastate small and ethnic-owned businesses in the area, and we urge Sound Transit board members to think very carefully about these business communities before making this decision.

As leaders of Seattle’s ethnic-business communities, we remember the sweeping impacts of past infrastructure decisions, whether it was highways bisecting or leveling communities of color, or leaving neighborhoods under served and underdeveloped. While we welcome the ongoing development of Sound Transit’s light rail service, we recognize clear dangers in making the wrong decisions about its station locations.

The Sound Transit 3 Ballard Link extension will be a pivotal and critically needed expansion of service, but its construction creates unique challenges. In July 2023, Sound Transit identified a preferred option, which would site two stations connecting downtown and South Lake Union. The preferred locations are a Denny station, at Westlake Avenue and Denny, and a South Lake Union station at Seventh Avenue and Harrison Street. This would close two lanes of Westlake for four of the eight years of construction, thereby threatening the economic well-being of the South Lake Union and Denny Triangle neighborhoods.

Seattle’s economy is a complex ecosystem that is most tenuous for small-business owners. During the pandemic, our members’ storefront businesses suffered severely from loss of downtown traffic. Businesses depend upon customers and visitors traveling between downtown and South Lake Union on foot, by transit or car. Amazon and other employers’ return to office is incredibly helpful, but according to the most recent data from the Downtown Seattle Association, monthly worker foot traffic is still just over 50% of what it was in 2019.

Many businesses are struggling to recover their footing and some are just now reaching firm ground.

Removing this key link of Westlake Avenue at this critical juncture could undo much of the recovery we’ve fought for and permanently enervate the small businesses of South Lake Union. Simply put, small businesses will not survive a multiyear full or partial closure of Westlake.

Given that Westlake is one of the brighter spots in downtown’s recovery, it should be the last place to consider major disruption and displacement when a perfectly good alternative is available.

The better options: Shifting the Denny station west, out of the middle of Westlake Avenue, and placing the South Lake Union station at Fifth Avenue and Harrison Street, next to Seattle Center. This would keep Westlake open during. construction and reduce total construction time to about four years.

This alignment also allows quicker access to Seattle Center, Climate Pledge Arena and the upgraded Memorial Stadium. It will protect small businesses by keeping Westlake open and avoiding an eight-year road closure. It would also reduce the duration of construction by avoiding the most complex Seattle City Light utility relocation work.

Our communities depend on Sound Transit making the best decision here for the next several years, as well as the next hundred as we grow past the damages and inequities of the past with a revitalized downtown economy. Sound Transit board members should think about what kind of neighborhood they want when those stations open. A vibrant one, full of restaurants and stores full of the best foods and goods from around the world? Or an area full of vacant storefronts? This choice affects our businesses, our downtown and everyone who visits the area.

We urge Sound Transit board members to adopt the Denny Station location that is shifted west, coupled with South Lake Union Station at Fifth and Harrison. Let’s make sure we get this right.