Sound Transit Looking for Feedback on South 200th Street Station Name

52 Replies to “Sound Transit Looking for Feedback on South 200th Street Station Name”

1. If you ever fly out of Seatac, Angle Lake is very visible on southbound takeoffs just to the east of Pacific Highway South (or on northbound landings). It’s pretty darn clear how it got its name.

   http://binged.it/S58If6

   1. I’ve seen it when I fly out, but that doesn’t mean I bothered to look up the name. It’s a small lake with some houses around it. Hardly a destination for riders or a landmark.
      S 200th St? I know exactly where that is.

2. How about Bang Bang Central with connections to Section-8-ville?

   1. No, I think in the minds of ridiculously frightened, mildly racist suburbanites who haunt Seattle Times comment threads that name would create confusion with existing Rainier Valley stops. Good try though.

   2. “North Algona”?

      Loot Loot!

3. I do like the name “Angle Lake”, and the lake is basically just kittycorner across the intersection of Hwy 99 and S 200th from the station. But there really isn’t any (good) access to the lake, so it really isn’t any sort of destination nor is it a much of a landmark.

   So I’d be OK with “South 200ht” or “Angle Lake.” However, “South Seatac” is a non-starter.

   1. Angle Lake was good enough to build a successful cycle shop. But quirky names that people remember aren’t allowed in PC Seattle. Come to think of it, “Seattle” is pretty racist. It’s like naming your sports team the Scalpers. We should renamed Allwet.

4. Does ST always pick station names this way? By conducting months of community outreach? Don’t they usually just decide on a station name themselves without asking the public? This is getting ridiculous. The more they ask me my opinion on what to do, the more I think they don’t know what they’re doing.

   1. Welcome to Seattle, remember to pick up your seat cushion for the community meetings ;-)

5. next stop, SeaTac Federal Detention Center.

   1. Yes! Other than parking lots the detention center is the nearest big destination to the station, and “Federal Detention Center Station” does have a certain ring to it.

      But Federal Way would probably complain…..

      1. Why not, it where we are all headed anyways.

   2. Kent Station called. It’s changing its name to Kent Regional Justice Center Station.

      1. Hee hee. But it could equally well have been Kent Library Station.

         Honestly, it’s not at all clear that South 200th St Station makes any sense, looking at what little is near it. But I guess it’s going to get built. As long as they don’t call it “South SeaTac”, which would be very confusing.

6. How about “Federal Detention Center Station”?

   –The new station will be less than 1/4 mile east of Federal Detention Center–SeaTac, the primary federal criminal lockup for western Washington

   –Fitting your criteria, FDC-SeaTac has to be the most recognizable landmark in that particular area

   –Future transit-oriented development can play off of the station name for that exciting, edgy neighborhood feel: “Graybar Hotel and Conference Center,” “Club Club Fed,” “Hard Time Lofts,” “Jailhouse Ale House”

   1. James, you beat me to it

   2. If only the majority of our regional population had been to jail this would have been a good name.

   3. It *is* the largest nearby landmark and it is *very* nearby.

      I guess I understand the reluctance to name the station “Federal Detention Center” or “Prison”, but that is the landmark.

   4. I suggested, “200TH ST / FEDERAL DETENTION CENTER” as the name for the station. The name takes into account the street, the landmark, and a unique name. :)

7. SeaTac/S. 200th Street Station

   That provides a regional location in SeaTac, as well as a precise local location on S 200th St.

   There is also a consistency with SeaTac/Airport Station.

   1. People will still think it’s the airport though.

   2. What Bus 62 said.

      1. For sure, the name “SeaTac” shouldn’t be in any station name that doesn’t directly serve the airport terminal unless it’s part of a phrase like “City of SeaTac” that clearly says, “I am not an airport.” Even then, maybe not.

      2. Do we put “Seattle” in the name of every station within the city limits of Seattle? Does New York list the borough name in every NYC Subway station? Does Chicago put “Evanston” in the name of every purple line station? Or “Oak Park” in the names of the Blue and Green Line stops in Oak Park?

      1. Chicago is no model to follow. And yes, they are now prefixing Skokie to the names of the two Skokie stations…

         But anyway, “South SeaTac” is a terrible name. SeaTac isn’t much of a name for a city, either.

      2. Again, things can be subheadings on the signs or after the station name; they don’t have to be part of the station name. I think the San Diego Trolley has the name of the city on the signs in suburban stations: I remember seeing “National City” and “Chula Vista” on some station signs.

8. Is that chart backwards? How can a station have three temporary working names?

   1. Thanks for catching that. Someone must have happened to the formatting while I was writing the post.

9. This station will REQUIRE a park & ride garage; what destinations are here?! I’ve been to places like this without a car and I usually find myself walking in the dirt alongside an awful highway. Hopefully with a rail station comes development and livability. Geeesh.

   SeaTac/S. 200th Street Station sounds good to me.

10. I’m a fan of using a station name actually help define an area/neighborhood, especially an area that has little existing identity. Angle Lake does that nicely despite it not necessarily being a destination for users. Look at it as a marketing tool: People might actually like the idea living next to a station called Angle Lake. A name like S 200th St station will keep this area drab, anonymous, and completely un-inviting.

    1. In college I had a colleague from Angle Lake, “five minutes from the airport”. So he would regularly pick up friends from the airport in the summer when he living was at his parents’ house. That’s the only way I know of Angle Lake. It may be a well-known name in the neighborhood, but it’s hardly known outside it.

       I would be happy with any of the three station names, although South SeaTac would be third because of the ambiguity. It’s one thing if you go to North Berkely Station and are late for class; it’s another thing if you go to South SeaTac station and miss your flight. (Although I assume the other station name will remain “SeaTac/Airport” so that should be a clue.)

       1. The problem is that the announcements announce the station as, “This is… SeaTac Airport Station.”

          The announcement doesn’t indicate the station is [City of] SeaTac Station SLASH Airport Station.

    2. I don’t think station names (or street names for that matter) have all that much power. Manhattan’s 5th Avenue, despite being an “anonymous” numbered road, has such name recognition that no less a city than Chicago has twice renamed streets “5th Avenue” (in no relation to their position on Chicago’s actual street grid) in hope of adding some cachet to those areas. The first one was eventually changed to Wells Street, and the second remains 5th Avenue and runs through one of the worst neighborhoods in the city.

       It’s probably true in this case that if this station was named Angle Lake, that name would generally come to describe the area around the station. I don’t think that’s true of “Brooklyn” for the area near that station in the U District, but I think it’s true here. But I don’t think that will necessarily make the neighborhood any more attractive. Again, I’ll go back to Chicago. Tell me which neighborhoods you might want to live in based on their names: McKinley Park, Lincoln Park, Irving Park, Jackson Park, Garfield Park; Lincoln Square, Armour Square, Logan Square; Woodlawn, Lawndale, Ravenswood, Englewood, Wrightwood, Kenwood; Back of the Yards, Clearing, Pullman, Bridgeport, Bronzeville; Avondale, Dunning, Deering, Beverly, Hegewisch; West Ridge, North Lawndale, West Humboldt Park, South Shore, South Chicago, East Side, River East, West Town; Little Village, Fifth City, Uptown, Andersonville.

       Is there a bridge to Blue Island or do I have to take a ferry? Is Rainbow Beach near Boys’ Town? Can I catch a Bears game at Halas Field? Washington Boulevard goes to Washington Park and Garfield Boulevard to Garfield Park, not the other way around, right? Does military security around Navy Pier regularly affect downtown travel? Sometimes a name is just a name.

       1. You lost me there at the end but all those names sound like cooler places to live than by a street numbered 200. My point is that we have a free ($0) way to MAYBE make an area sound cooler to potential residents, businesses, customers, TOD, etc. That said, if the world’s top fashion stores move next to S 200th St Station, I’ll retract my comment. ;)

11. If we use the criteria that were used to name the Brooklyn, I mean University District station, this should be called South Seatac for maximum confusion and redundancy across the system.

    But by any other reasoning, S. 200th St. > Angle Lake > South Seatac.

    1. Yep. We now have “U-Dist Station”, “University of Washington Station”, and “University Street Station.”

       What a disaster. At the very least they should rename University Street Station to something like “Benaroya Station.”

       1. !

          But, but we would be naming something after a private organization!

       2. Why don’t you just call it Seneca St station. The station is between, Union, University and Seneca anyways, it seems arbitrary to choose one but at least Seneca won’t cause confusion with any other station.

       3. “Symphony” is a perfectly good station name and is used in Boston.

       4. A station named after an ancient Roman is about as good as one named after high culture. At least it’s not something boring.

    2. ST is considering asking Metro to rename University Street Station.

       For the ultimate Sam effect, we should rename U-District Station to Overlake Station.

12. Who will this station actually serve? The park-&-riders? Both of the local residents within walking distance?

    Or is there a plan to divert the 574 to serve this station, instead of Airport Station, on the way to the south terminal stop?

    If the former, let the resident(s) caucus and come up with a name.

13. How about we name it Federal Way Station and call it done :=

    1. If we’re gonna do that, then may as well go with Tacoma Station. :P

       1. Good thought but it would violate sub area equity ;-)

       2. How about Gig Harbor Station, and then we don’t have to worry about subareas. But PT will have to pick up the bill.

14. My vote – Angle Lake Station. Sea-Tac is obviously a bad suggestion. S 200 St Station isn’t terrible but I think Angle Lake brings an opportunity to re position this area for new development, the name does it justice. Angle Lake is a beautiful park. Alaska Airlines HQ is just south of the station as well.

    1. Alaska Airlines HQ is just south

       Well we can’t call it Alaska Station because that would be using a corporate name and people would think they are getting off in the RV. So the obvious name is Husky Station :=

       1. Oh, no, not Alaska Airlines Station! That would send the Timbers fans in the wrong direction.

    2. Jacob_G, you’re exactly right. +1 for Angle Lake.

15. +1 for S. 200th Street Station

16. The only concern with 200th st station is that lynnwood transit center is located at sw 196th st in snohomish county. There could be some confusion there. seatac / 200th street station is a good alternative.

17. I’m pretty sure anyone who had any business getting off there would know where Angle Lake is. South SeaTac would require large signs saying “this is not the airport.” S. 200th means absolutely nothing.

    Why there’s a station there (unless Alaska Airlines pushed it) is beyond me). Are they going to stop shuttle buses from the airport to the hotels and tell people to take Link southward?

    1. Most getting off there will be heading for their cars, or catching a connecting bus. Those heading to Angle Lake will know what 200th St is.

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