Bellevue Reporter, May 23, 2014

Page 1

BELLEVUE

REPORTER

NEWSLINE 425-453-4270

BUSINESS | 99 Park Restaurant coming soon to downtown [7] LOOK INSIDE THIS ISSUE FOR

SPORTS | Bellevue Wolverine boys sprint to KingCo track title [11]

FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014

Council pushes back on light rail maintenance locations BY BRANDON MACZ BELLEVUE REPORTER

Bellevue councilmembers are continuing to urge Sound Transit to consider siting its large operations and maintenance satellite facility — meant for servicing its East Link light rail fleet outside of the city's Bel-Red corridor — to prevent what they see as severe impacts to the redevelopment area. With Sound Transit still eyeing 2023 to launch its expanded East Link service, the

transit agency states its SODO maintenance facility is too small to handle the additional fleet of about 180 vehicles, and is now proposing several site alternatives in Bellevue — three in the Bel-Red corridor — and Lynwood. It began its 45-day public comment period through June 23 and plans to identify a preferred site on July 24. An option to construct an operations and maintenance facility in Bellevue between the Eastside Rail Corridor and 120th Avenue Northeast — south of SR-520

FARMERS MARKET FUN Food, fun, flowers and more were on display May 15, as the Bellevue Farmers Market opened its 2014 season on Saturdays in the parking lot of the Bellevue Presbyterian Church, 1717 Bellevue Way N.E. Fresh vegetables were in abundance, as were flowers. Face-painting was a popular attraction for kids. In all, there are three farmers markets in Bellevue, including one at Crossroads Shopping Center, which will be open from noon to 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday beginning May 26 at 15600 N.E. Eighth St., and another downtown, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday beginning June 7 at 550 106th Ave. N.E., next to Bellevue Arts Museum. BRANDON MACZ, Bellevue Reporter

— was determined to be the cheapest of the alternatives. It would take up about 23 of the 27 acres on the site, leaving four acres for redevelopment. Due to zoning, Sound Transit would require a conditional use permit for this alternative. There is also a modified version of this plan. Councilmembers told Sound Transit staff Monday that alternatives cutting through the Bel-Red corridor and utilizing Burlington Northern-Santa Fe will have negative economic impacts as redevelopment —

including the Spring District project — continues in the area. The BNSF alternative in question would displace 14 businesses and is inconsistent with current zoning, but also would have the least impact on natural resources and is the least expensive to construct. The city worked hard with Sound Transit to allow light rail into Bellevue, said councilmembers, but proposing a massive SEE LIGHT RAIL, 5

BC students, staff crowd meeting on Metro Transit cuts BY BRANDON MACZ BELLEVUE REPORTER

A strong contingent of Bellevue College students and faculty amassed at Bellevue City Hall on May 15 to push the King County Council to reconsider rerouting Route 271 away from campus as part of a 16-percent cut in transit service to shore up losses in state sales tax revenue over the past five years. The council began taking public comment about the cuts and route revisions after Proposition No. 1 — a funding measure for the recently formed King County Transportation Benefit District — failed in April. The first round of service reductions is slated for September, cutting 161,000 hours in King County and another 56,000 hours in northeast King County in February. Two more rounds of cuts will occur in June and September 2015. The council is set to approve the cuts at its June 9 meeting. Alex Clark, environmental and social responsibility representative for the Associated Student Government of Bellevue College, said students and faculty were happy when planned cuts were scaled back and Route 245 was spared the chopping block, but moving Route 271 away from campus will affect 900 daily riders. "The stop that's proposed to be cut is in the heart of campus," he told the Reporter on Thursday. Ahead of public testimony, King County transportation staff updated Eastside residents on the proposed cuts and its formula for selecting which routes to reduce, cut, consolidate or change. Audience members chuckled SEE CUTS, 9

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