The Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) submitted comments to Sound Transit on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the West Seattle to Ballard Link Extensions Project (WSBLE) issued by Sound Transit on January 28, 2022. SCIDpda’s comment letter was approved by the SCIDpda Board of Directors on April 20, 2022 and was submitted to Sound Transit prior to their submission deadline of April 28, 2022.
The letter submitted by the SCIDpda does the following:
- Identifies the major impacts and challenges posed to the neighborhood.
- Proposes that the deep-station options not be studied further and that Sound Transit moves forward with shallow-station alternatives for further study.
- Describes the harmful impact of the 5th Ave shallow options as an existential threat to the CID community. States that the construction of a station at either of these locations would pose great risk to the neighborhood.
- Identifies the 4th Avenue shallow option as the least impactful to the CID businesses and residents and the best option for increasing connection between the CID and Pioneer Square. Requests that the Agency fully study construction impacts and refine costs associated with this alternative.
- States that the additional information requested is necessary for the CID community to give meaningful input on the mitigation strategies and resources that would be needed to protect businesses, property owners, and residents from the harmful impacts of station construction.
- Lists specific questions and concerns about the DEIS analysis in an attachment to the comment letter.
