For More Information:
Please contact Mark Sollitto, (206) 205-0705.

Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
To encourage a better use of existing urban lands and to further encourage transit use, King County is promoting more compact, mixed-use development near transit hubs that will serve housing, transportation, and neighborhood goals. To help stimulate the private sector in creating housing and economic opportunities near transit hubs, the County has:

What We've Done:

• Downtown Renton - Negotiated a thirty year lease agreement for the construction of 150 park and ride spaces and 90 mixed income apartments across the street from the Renton Transit Center. Opening is scheduled for late 2000.
• Redmond Overlake - Construction has begun of 308 apartments affordable to families earning 60 percent of median income above the Overlake Park and Ride lot. Includes a 4,500 sq. ft day-care facility. Opening is scheduled for spring, 2002.
• Doces Building - Selected a developer for the construction of affordable apartments and retail space in the Doces Building at Third and Pine in downtown Seattle.
• Northgate Projects - Sold a portion of the Fifth Avenue Park and Ride to the City of Seattle for construction of a new street (NE 112th Street) that will provide access to a new, four story retail complex. Also reached a tentative agreement with the City of Seattle and the owner of Northgate Mall on leasing 1,100 park-and-ride stalls in a large mixed-use development of the property east of the Northgate Transit Center.
• North Kingdome Lot - Completed construction of a new pedestrian bridge just south of King Street Station that connects more directly the International District, North Kingdome lot, and Pioneer Square to existing Metro bus and future Sound Transit commuter rail and light rail stops.
• Olson-Myers Site - Initiated the process to solicit industrial development proposals at the Olson-Myers Park and Ride lot just north of White Center.

What We're Doing:

• New TOD Sites: King County has recently completed studies on the market feasibility of TOD developments at the Burien and Shoreline Park and Ride lots, Convention Place Station, a proposed mixed use TOD development with off-street bus layover in the University District, and at 55 County and State owned transit sites, many of which are park-and-ride facilities.

For More Information:
Please contact Ron Posthuma, (206) 684-1007.

Affordable Housing Initiatives
King County has launched a number of initiatives to increase the housing supply, as well as the number of housing units that are affordable to low and moderate income families.

What We've Done:

• Surplus Property Program: King County's Surplus Properties program has made surplus County property available for housing development. In addition to several single family development parcels, development agreements have been reached in Woodinville, a site that will provide 170 units of housing; in Seattle at Third and Pine for 60 units; and on First Hill in Seattle for senior housing. Other development agreements are pending. Housing will be affordable to low and moderate income households and includes homeownership and rental opportunities.
• King County Credit Enhancement Program: Up to $50 million is authorized to be used in contingent loan agreements with housing developers to produce 520 or more units over the next 5 to 8 years. The first credit enhancement use was by King County Housing Authority to renovate apartments in the City of SeaTac.
• Open Door Loan Program: With the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Fannie Mae, and two private lenders, the County has made available down payment and closing cost assistance to low and moderate income buyers. Loans up to $5,000 are available for first-time buyers throughout King County. To date, 10 low-income households and 41 moderate-income households have used these loans to buy first homes.
• South King County First Homes Program: Last February, the Executive announced a new purchase assistance program in South King County in conjunction with the cities of Auburn, Federal Way and Kent. Currently, $640,000 is available for loans for first-time homebuyers, with qualified recipients receiving up to $25,000 to be repaid beginning after 8 years. In addition, in cooperation with several private lenders and nonprofit agencies, counseling and education will be provided for South King County residents.
• Housing Opportunity Fund: An increase in the County's Housing Opportunity Fund combined with federal dollars resulted in awards of $5.3 million to non-profit housing developers to serve low-income residents. The projects are throughout the County and will produce 437 affordable housing units. The projects approved this year include new affordable rental housing for families and seniors, preservation of at-risk senior and family housing, home ownership opportunities, and special needs housing.

For More Information:
Please contact Larry Alcantara, (206) 296-4163.

Open Space
Parks and open space provide recreational and educational opportunities for youth and adults, and serve as visual or physical buffers between urban and rural development. Parks and open space also protect water quality for fish and provide habitat for wildlife.

What We've Done:

• Preserved nearly 20,000 acres of parkland and natural areas: King County Park System includes nearly 200 parks throughout the County, from unincorporated areas to suburban cities.
• Developed an impressive system of regional parks: King County Park System contains some of the most popular parks in the Puget Sound region, from Marymoor Park, to Cougar Mountain Park, to Lake Wilderness Park, to Five Mile Lake Park. Marymoor Park near Redmond supports a wide range of activities, from the usual to the unusual, including a bicycle racing velodrome, a climbing rock, a radio control airfield, and soccer and baseball fields. Marymoor is visited by more than 1 million people each year. Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park is a 3,000-acre natural oasis sandwiched between the cities of Bellevue, Issaquah and Newcastle. Thousands of hikers enjoy the miles of trails in the park and the incredible vistas.
• Developed one of the largest regional trail networks in the United States: The King County Park System's trail network includes such well-known pathways as the Burke-Gilman Trail, the Sammamish River Trail, the Cedar River Trail, the Soos Creek Trail, the Tolt Pipeline Trail, and the Snoqualmie Valley Trail.
• Assembled one of the largest indoor pool systems in the United States: The King County Park System includes 14 indoor pools, two outdoor pools and the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center, the site of local, national and international competitions.
• Produced hundreds of recreational programs for youth teens, adults and those with developmental and physical disabilities: From nature walks with interpretive staff, to after-school programs at one of our seven community centers, we've got something for everyone.
• Sponsored large special events like the Heritage Festival and the King County Fair: The Heritage Festival, held at Marymoor Park each year, is one of the most popular events on the Eastside. The King County Fair is the oldest county fair west of the Mississippi, founded in 1863.
• Developed baseball and soccer fields for our youth to play on: King County Park System contains 68 baseball fields, 54 soccer fields, in addition to 40 tennis courts.

What We're Doing:

• Continuing to acquire parkland, open space and natural areas: Recent acquisitions include 1,700-acre Taylor Mountain Forest, and 1,400-acre Grand Ridge Park.
• Working on new regional parks: Section 36 Park has been acquired and planning is nearly complete for this new regional facility. Lake Sawyer Park is a regional park that we are working to acquire in the near future.
• Adding new regional trails: The right-of-way for the East Lake Sammamish Trail was recently acquired and planning is now ongoing.
• Enhancing our commitment to baseball and soccer field development: We're nearly half-way through the Executive's 101 Ballfield Initiative, a plan to construct or rehabilitate 101 ballfields throughout King County by 2003.

For More Information:
Please contact Craig Larsen, (206) 296-8631.

Brownfields Showcase Community Designation
King County uses a comprehensive approach to foster the clean up of Brownfields properties. This comprehensive approach includes systemic improvements in regulations governing cleanup, an Environmental Extension Service to provide technical assistance for assessment and cleanup to small manufacturers, securing federal financing for specific brownfields projects, and community outreach to educate businesses and residents on our brownfield activities.

What We're Doing:

• Securing funding for the cleanup of a 4 acre site contaminated with cement kiln dust in unincorporated South Park.
• Hiring a real estate broker to market the County-owned 19.4-acre vacant landfill site in South Park for cleanup and industrial development.
• Securing funding for King County and the City of Seattle to train employable workers in environmental cleanup techniques.
• Pursuing design and capitalization of a locally-controlled revolving loan fund to lend money for site assessments and cleanup to businesses unable to secure conventional funds.
• Developing a pipeline of brownfields projects for which the County can apply for financial assistance from various federal programs.
• Partnering with the Army Corps of Engineers to perform biological assessments on brownfields projects that must comply with the Endangered Species Act.