Jan. 22, 2007
King County gives final green light to major Northgate redevelopment plan
The King County Executive's transit proposal that is key to a major four-way partnership to create a new transit-oriented urban center at Northgate shopping mall cleared its final hurdle today with approval by the County Council. The project will transform Northgate into a major urban center complete with transit, housing, commercial space, enhanced pedestrian pathways, and environmental and recreational amenities.
"With today's vote, Metro Transit and the King County Road Services Division can now move ahead with the city of Seattle and two private developers to turn Northgate into a model urban center," said Sims. "Hundreds of additional units of housing affordable to residents of all incomes and increasing transit ridership by making it even more convenient to ride the bus and future light rail are part of the benefit to our quality of life."
Sims thanked Councilmembers Bob Ferguson and Dow Constantine for their leadership on the issue. He also thanked Councilmembers Reagan Dunn and Kathy Lambert. The ordinance finalizes plans for the county to move park-and-ride spaces from a surface lot several blocks north of the Northgate Transit Center into privately built garages adjacent to the transit center located on First Avenue Northeast. These garages will serve transit passengers, residents of new housing being built just east of the transit center, and shoppers at the Northgate Mall and other new commercial projects.
The county's plan to consolidate all Northgate-area transit commuter parking near the transit center will provide a net increase of 80 parking stalls, bringing the number of stalls available to transit passengers to 1,500 by 2009.
The redevelopment plan also brings other neighborhood amenities. The King County Road Services Division is managing a project to build a new pedestrian-friendly roadway – Third Avenue Northeast – between the transit center and residential-commercial property that will provide improved access throughout the urban center. Metro will sell the northern park-and-ride lot at Fifth Avenue Northeast and Northeast 112th Street to the city of Seattle to be redeveloped as a public park. And, the new residential-commercial project adjacent to the transit center includes the daylighting of Thornton Creek.
"Northgate is Metro's busiest transit center in north King County, and when light rail is extended to the area in the future it will be become an even more important transportation hub," said Sims. "The vision that we are beginning to implement now at Northgate will serve us well for years to come."
In addition to the county, the other key partners in redeveloping Northgate include the city of Seattle, mall developer Simon Properties, and Lorig Associates, developer of the mixed use residential project.