The Daily Journal of Commerce (subscription required) ran a very positive article on Kent Station (built around the Sounder station) and how it is effecting their downtown.
When Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke talked to city residents in 2005, she was shocked to hear some people say they hadn’t been to downtown Kent in 15 years. Kent Station, the 18-acre mixed-use development that is about to break ground on its fourth phase, has changed that.
“Downtown was sort of becoming forgotten,” Cooke said. “Clearly the reality of Kent Station has helped residents see what’s possible for Kent… It was a wake up call to residents that they actually deserved such services.”
Kent Station, owned by Seattle-based Tarragon, is the public-private centerpiece of Kent’s effort to revitalize downtown. Before it was built, the site was home to a functioning glue factory. Today, it’s a 240,000-square-foot hub of retail, education and entertainment with a Sound Transit commuter rail station nearby. When complete, the project will stretch across 470,000 square feet.
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Looking back, Kent Station’s success can seem like a well placed bet. “I’d like to say it has been fun,” Hanson said. “All of us were kind of at the edge of our seats thinking when Kent Station was built… where are the people going to come from?”
Wolters said he’s always looking to learn from other cities’ experiences. Overall, he said it is important to attract a variety of uses to create the needed dynamic. He said Kent chose to pursue retail and entertainment, then housing. Other communities, like Burien and Federal Way, are doing both at the same time. Working with Sound Transit to develop a commuter station nearby, was also crucial to the project.
I think losing a glue factory is kind of sad, but it’s cool to see how transit orient development can take root even in low-density suburbs.
Although a bit retail-heavy for my taste, Kent Station is an excellent chunk of TOD. It is even doing well despite being essentially across the street from the Regional Justice Center (King County Jail II).
Land is still cheap in that area! Hopefully, we can see some apartments in the future! (Given, this will depend on Sounder capacity.)
There are also great efficiencies to be had by placing retail and a park and ride transit facility together. The park and ride parking utilization peaks during the day on weekdays, whereas retail utilization peaks during the evenings on weekdays and weekends. So we get less parking overall.
I dunno about claiming that the transit center next to Kent Station is really attributable to TOD. I’d say that is more about zoning or something else.
I haven’t been there, but from looking at the maps it seems to me to be a bit of a stretch attributing the retail growth at Kent Station (the retail center) to the transit at Kent Station (the transit center). To me that place is just a glorified strip mall with structured parking available in commuter off-peak hours for movie-goers.
As somebody who does go to Kent Station almost daily when I take Sounder, and also hang out at Kent Station with friends and family on Friday night’s, it’s a very happening place.
There are several excellent places to eat, especially the Chowder Shop and The Ram. Clothing seems to be aimed at the younger generation to some business oriented folks. The Cafe next to the fireplace is an excellent feature when the weather is cool.
Kent Station has sparked something amazing within Kent and Renton is following it with “The Landing”. It’s walkable, safe, the Sounder platform to the AMC Theater is 2 minutes away walking distance. It’s an excellent choice to unwind from a stressful day. Trust me, been there, done that.
Besides the parking garage, Kent Station has parking on the North end of the facility for at least 150 car.
I had no idea that Kent Station was going to expand even more so but I also hope that some apartments will crop up. I might have to consider moving there if they did!
My question is.. what is the deal with the building across from Wamu and Bank of America that has been standing there half built?
[djst] is right. It’s a glorified strip mall. But one that’s been placed (on purpose) next to a major transit center. Plus they’ve gone and added offices and a community college above the retail, and will be adding 140 residential units. The combined effect is something much better than just a stip mall.
matt, that’s still well within the realm of “transit-adjacent development”, and the Sounder is barely enough transit even for that.
True TOD requires high-frequency, high-quality, and don’t forget the “O” – meaning that they expect customers to USE the transit frequently to get to/from the place, not as an afterthought.
[m1ek], I think [Brian]’s shown that this happens.
It’s certainly not what I would have thought of as TOD. And I’m not sure what the difference is between TAD/TOD. But I do think Kent Station is a functional, useful, and forward thinking alternative to a strip mall.
matt – remember, this is step one. Building eight stories all in one go with nothing around it really isn’t a great idea – building a slightly better strip mall is fine, because it creates demand for things slightly better than it is next door, and when the real estate cycle hits Kent Station again in 20 or 40 years, it’ll be added to, changed, redeveloped into something more dense and less car-friendly.
Sounder isn’t going anywhere. Although I do not know for sure about Sounder South (any ST employee readers want to shoot us an email?), I know Sounder North’s trackage rights are in perpetuity.
We’re also adding more trains. There are a couple more round trips left to add, and the connection to Lakewood will offer us further options, including more space to add more round trips later – and potentially closer together to take the heat off the most packed trains.