Seattle’s Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) is seeking comments on its draft zoning map released this week. Click the image for a full-window view of the map.

Transit:

Seattle Zoning News:

Commentary:

This is an Open Thread.

27 Replies to “Weekend Roundup: New Zoning”

  1. The Blog is assembling its endorsements for the election. We are aware of the Seattle races/initiative, State-wide races/initiatives, and Federal races. Reply here to let us know of any transportation initiatives we should consider for endorsement. Candidate races may be considered as well.

  2. LA Metro is prepping to open a new station near the airport. Although it’s not the “ultimate” airport station, the new station will serve major employment centers nearby. Think of having a Link station at 188th & International or on Air Cargo Road. The new LA Metro station is surrounded by numerous hotels and LAX cargo facilities.

    When the Metro line completes it overhaul, the actual airport station will be open and be served by a people-mover to/from the airport terminal. Additionally, metro will “K” line will be more useful and extend to Redondo Beach.

    https://thesource.metro.net/changes-are-coming-soon-to-the-c-and-k-lines-as-we-open-the-new-aviation-century-station/

    1. It’s great that the opening of a full Line K is closer!

      As simulated service relies on testing this new operating pattern in between two current in-service segments, this change has to be made before the full K line opens. So I expect that the K line may fully open soon. Maybe around Christmas or earlier?

      Of course, getting the LAX peoplemover opened is going to be the bigger game changer!

      1. I believe that there is a full “Wye” just west of Aviation/LAX that it would behoove Metro to use at peak hours for direct Redondo-Willowbrook service, because the transfer between the two routes will require riding across the airport to Aviation/Century and right back after the change of trains.

        Since it’s nearly a mile, that will be seen as a poke in the eye by riders from the southern tail of the K destined to points on the A (“Blue Line”).

        There may not be “enough” ridership during off-peak periods to justify the operation costs, but there will be during the peaks.

        According to Wikipedia, Metro has ruled out three-leg operation because it would wear out the “track-switch motors”. Really? They better warn BART because the track-switch motors at the South Oakland Wye are going to fail any day now.

      2. @ Tom:

        Yeah it’s challenging to figure out what service pattern works best when three branches come together and they’re all crosstown segments.

        I do think that it makes sense to have the LAX Peoplemover station as the transfer point. It’s probably going to be the station with the most entries and exits anyway.

        For years, LA Metro debated what to do. The models they built suggested an L shaped crosstown line using Crenshaw and 105 segments. The Redondo Beach – El Segundo segment was going to be a stub and that really frustrated the residents.

        I can’t know the local politics, but I can’t figure out why the Inglewood stadiums were not only built too far the the current stations but they are supposed to get a new people mover to them that will not connect to the C Line. It’s a political boondoggle that few in Seattle pay attention to.

        At least LA was smart enough to build center platform stations for the most part. That allows for level cross-platform transfers between the C and K Lines. It’s a stark contrast to ST, who only wants to build overly monstrous and expensive stations that look like the outcome of a Chutes and Ladders game and take several minutes to traverse with multiple points of failure (escalators and elevators). Of course, ST thinks they’re brilliant and won’t question their concepts.

    1. The important takeaway here is the economies of scale resultant from widespread production of the same housing design. Anecdotally, it seems we might be headed in that direction with townhome construction. Under the new NR zoning, for construction without bonuses (either transit proximity or affordability), my guess would be that the two duplex (4 units on a lot) form will become the standard residential new build across the city.

      We’d be better off if the maximum density were increased in all NR zones such that 6-plexes (6-flats) could become the default instead, but it seems the viability of those will be limit to within 1/4 mile of transit and projects with “affordable” units.

  4. Sound Transit is proposing to reduce the ST Express fare from $3.25 to $3.00 to match Link’s current rate and Metro’s future rate.

    Survey here. In the “Fares” section, press the “English” button.

    1. My only wish is that they’d start implementing transfer tickets for people going from Express to Link when paying cash on board.

      1. Are you serious or is this a joke? Are there many people paying cash on ST Express? Paying cash on ST Express and transferring to Link may make sense if it’s your first or only time on ST Express (e.g., if you’re going to the airport to go home), but you can get an ORCA card right at the Link station instead of a Link ticket. That will pay for itself in two trips (e.g., your return trip), and then you’ll get free transfers forever, and you won’t hold up other bus passengers paying cash again and again.

      2. I’d raise the cash fare to $3.50, while lowering the ORCA fare. That should incentivize more riders to get an ORCA card rather than continuing to pay with cash and change. The lack of a free transfer also disincentivizes change fumbling.

      3. The current system seems to work well. I rarely see anyone paying with cash on ST buses, which is good, because cash slows everything down.

      4. I agree Brent. The cash fare should be more. I would set cash fare at $4, but have it include a transfer (as Zach suggested). This would be a disincentive to pay cash, but still a discount compared to what some pay. I’ve known people who were visiting from out of town who don’t have an ORCA card. They end up paying full fare on the bus and then paying again to ride Link. This would save them a couple bucks and be much simpler.

      5. Metro is the only one that still has paper transfers. CT, PT, and ST Express abolished them years ago. In King County there’s still a lingering expectation of transfers because of Metro, but in Snohomish and Pierce Counties none of the agencies do that, so it would be reintroducing something the drivers have been saying “Sorry, Charlie” about, and doubtless anger CT and PT because then people might start expecting them to do it because the 512 and 594 do.

        The lowering of the ORCA fee from $5 to $3 has also probably blunted opposition to getting ORCA. $3 looks like “just three ones”, while $5 looks like “a substantial amount of money, and I don’t want to spend it on a card when I don’t think I’ll be using it much in the future”.

      6. Pierce Transit switched to paper day passes, purchased with cash while boarding the bus. There is now a PT-only ORCA version of this pass.

        Kitsap Transit still has its paper transfers that are only good at specific transfer locations.

        And good riddance to the lines at vending machines, where passengers took a while to realize they could not purchase a day pass going in both directions from the point of purchase.

      7. Yeah, PT has a paper $5 all day pass. The drivers hand them out like candy for free, if there even any hint of conflict or need.

      8. When my driver took an hour to circle back around after a wrong turn, he gave everyone on board an uncut paper transfer. I can see why operators would miss having this complaint reduction tool.

      9. PT service levels translate into service that is mainly for the indigent or the deeply poor. People with that level of disenfranchisement don’t really complain, except occasionally with their fists.

    2. I genuinely think that no one at Sound Transit put any forethought into bus fares when they were simplifying the Link structure. This is because they’re so train- focused that they forgot about the buses.

      So when the final version was complete, they realized “oops, it’s more expensive to take the bus than the train”.

      1. There’s been larger discussions about it. They have to make the fare changes one at a time as it involves a lengthy study to ensure it doesn’t impact any group and double check the finances.

        Generally sound transit staff have been pushing for a flat 3 dollar fare for all their services and this is the final step of it. I remember them mentioning it earlier to align the bus fare to be the same as the train fare — but they can’t publicly say that it is happening until it’s validated and the board votes on it.

        The community transit already removed their commuter fare and is just at $2.50.

        https://info.myorca.com/news/2024-fare-changes/

      2. I don’t think the ST Express fare reduction was an afterthought. I’m pretty sure it was part of the plan, unofficially. It is a plan I strongly support, as someone who wants my monthly pass to cover Link and ST Express rides, along with the Metro rides it is set to by my employer.

        $3 might not optimize revenue, I realize, but it minimizes change fumbling, at least until ST has the courage to adopt a cash surcharge.

        All that said, I was hoping there could be a $4 ST long-distance express fare, rolled out with the opening of Federal Way Link, to help induce riders to switch to Link or Sounder.

        A cold shut-down of some of the routes that are a dead heat with the trains during peak probably won’t fly at first. But when the riders vote with their feet, the Board will likely allow staff to start to “suspend” the lowest-ridership routes that have the trains as an alternative.

        In that sense, the ST Express fare reduction might be premature. But is perfectectly defensible as the remaining routes get shorter.

        I would at least wait until the Great Conjunction, given all the revenue from 545/550 riders. And then 545 riders would suddenly see a 25-cent decrease when forced to switch to the 2 Line. A spoonful of sugar.

      3. An ST cash surcharge? An ST long distance surcharge? How can the Seattle Monorail increasing the reduced fare from $1.75 to $2.00 be considered heartless and cruel, but enacting a cash and distance surcharge be an admirable goal? Wouldn’t those higher fares on distance and cash disproportionately affect the poor?

      4. Wouldn’t those higher fares on distance and cash disproportionately affect the poor?

        No.

  6. Zones need to go away. They were invented to keep “undesirable” people away from the rich white families.

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