Tag Archives: judkins park

City says work starting on latest 23rd Ave overhaul adding bus-friendly traffic signals, safer crossings, and a short stretch of ‘transit-only’ lanes

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(Image: SDOT)

The city’s department of transportation is following up on the 23rd Ave corridor’s road diet with a scaled-back project to improve bus service through the busy route connecting the coming soon Judkins Park Station and the Central District to the University of Washington across the backside of Capitol HIll.

The Seattle Department of Transportation isn’t saying when work will wrap up as crews have begun digging in on the north end of the $2.6 million Route 48 – Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project that will add limited bus-only lanes to separate transit from traffic, improve crossings at intersections “to help people access transit safely,” and add new optimized and “smart” traffic signals “that prioritize transit with queue jumps that give buses a head start and “activate or extend green lights for buses” to the route.

“We are excited to announce that construction on the Route 48 Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project’s North Segment is kicking off,” the announcement from SDOT reads. “We’re making these improvements to reduce bus travel times, increase bus service reliability, and make street crossings safer for people getting to bus stops.”

UPDATE: SDOT tells CHS they hope to have the completed “the majority of the work” by the end of 2024.

The upgrades will be missing one key component. Continue reading →

Another delay for Judkins Park Station: Spring 2025

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Pretty much ready and waiting (Image: Sound Transit)

The station has stood mostly complete — since May 2022 (Image: Sound Transit)

Judkins Park Station is mostly ready and waiting but the first light rail trains probably won’t arrive there until the spring of 2025.

Sound Transit says ongoing construction problems will further delay its expansion to the Eastside including the new Judkins Park Station in the Central District. In a construction update (PDF), Sound Transit said a major project for “track reconstruction” is  “progressing slower than planned.”

The Seattle Times reported here on the multimillion dollar mistakes that have caused contractors to start over on hundreds of concrete track ties on the I-90 portion of the new light rail route.

Sound Transit has now revised its plans for a spring 2025 opening of the line and the new Judkins Park station with its design that honors neighborhood music legend Jimi Hendrix. Continue reading →

Libertarian legal group teams up with Central District family to mount another challenge against Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability program

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A group that has already successfully helped one small Seattle project win an exemption from the city’s Mandatory Housing Affordability program fees is helping a Central District family sue over their plans for an addition to their Central District house.

In the new federal lawsuit, the Institute for Justice and Judkins Park couple Anita and Vance Adams are claiming the affordable housing program that requires developments to either include affordable units or pay a fee the city uses to help fund affordable housing projects is unconstitutional and violates the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment.

“[T]he Constitution dictates that governments cannot use the permitting process as an opportunity to coerce money from property owners, and certainly not at the expense of the city’s middle- and low-income residents,” the Institute for Justice writes about the new suit. Continue reading →

May Day 2022 in Seattle: Workers’ rights, signs and marches, ‘zero arrests’

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With most pandemic era restrictions lifted and turnout buoyed by recent labor victories in the city, hundreds marched from the Central District Sunday to mark May Day 2022 in Seattle.

The annual event organized by civil rights group El Comite grew closer to past proportions after COVID-19 concerns reduced attendance at the 2021 rally and march for workers rights.

2021 also saw arrests during May Day protests away from the workers march including on Capitol Hill where a “black bloc” group marched on Broadway and became embroiled with law enforcement after a large contingent of police responded and moved on the crowd outside the E Olive Way Starbucks following reports of property damage. Continue reading →

Village Gardens — Seattle’s first ‘Community Preference’ homes — ready to hit Central District real estate market

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(Image: Village Gardens)

(Image: Village Gardens)

The expansion of light rail to the Eastside and opening of Judkins Park Station may be slightly delayed but growth and development in the area has already moved quickly ahead. A development on Yakima Ave S and a 15 minute walk from the station is hoped to help provide new homes for buyers to help slow displacement and rising costs in the area.

Mayor Bruce Harrell was on hand last week to cut the ribbon in front of the new Village Gardens development where ten of the new homes are reserved for income-restricted buyers and six are being sold at market rate in a project built on land provided by the City of Seattle for affordable housing, and funded by a public investment of $2.3 million including $1.2 million from the Seattle Housing Levy.

The homes will be the first in the city to be sold under Community Preference Policy, creating opportunity for those with historic ties to the neighborhood the first opportunity to purchase. Continue reading →

New schedule for Judkins Park Station light rail opening? Winter 2024

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The Seattle Times reports that the opening of Sound Transit’s expansion to the Eastside including the new Judkins Park Station in the Central District will likely be delayed — but only by a matter of months, not years.

The Times says the concrete strike, construction problems, and supply chain issues are likely to push the opening of the line back to winter 2024. Continue reading →

Police investigating after two to hospital in Judkins Park shooting — UPDATE

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Two victims suffering gunshot wounds including one person reportedly shot in the chest were dropped at the Swedish Hospital emergency room on First Hill after a Monday night shooting near Judkins Park.

According to police and East Precinct radio updates, the 8 PM shooting took place in the 2200 block of S Norman in the area of the park and involved gunfire from at least two vehicles. Continue reading →

One shot in reported 23rd Ave driveby

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One person was hospitalized after a reported driveby shooting Sunday night near 23rd and Dearborn.

Police were called to reports of gunfire near a store in the area around 10:30 PM and found a male victim on the ground suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Seattle Fire arrived to treat the victim and rush him to the hospital.

Police say it was not believed his injuries were life-threatening. Continue reading →

Central District council says SDOT went rogue with community-driven street improvements

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The Judkins Park Community Council says its solution for the stretch of Jackson SDOT focused on would cost $500 (Image: Judkins Park Community Council)

A Central District neighborhood group had the strange experience earlier this month of asking the city to stop work on improvements Seattle Department of Transportation claimed it asked for.

“It is heartbreaking as we were so excited to get a grant to have improvements in the Jackson Street Business District,” organizers for the Judkins Park Community Council posted about the situation. “But this project, which we may not be able to actually stop at this point, being done in our name with our hard work on getting the grant, is not acceptable.” Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Community Post | Your Voice, Your Choice Results — Four District 3 Projects

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From SDOT

We’ve counted each vote and checked it twice! And, now is the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the announcement of vote results for Your Voice, Your Choice: Parks and Streets!

DISTRICT 3  

  • Capitol Hill: Crossing Improvements at I-5 Exit on to Olive Way (Cost: $75,000, Total Votes: 240)
  • Central District: Traffic Calming on 17th Ave S between E Yesler Way & S Jackson St (Cost: $15,000, Total Votes: 200)
  • Judkins Park: Improved Connections to Judkins Park from S. Dearborn St (Cost: $90,000, Total Votes: 173)
  • Capitol Hill: Crossing Improvements at 19th Ave E & E Denny Way (Cost: $83,000, Total Votes:  171) 

As a bonus, while Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) reviewed ideas submitted by Your Voice, Your Choice participants, it ran the projects through its program priorities and was able to fund additional traffic calming and pedestrian improvement projects in underserved neighborhoods throughout the City. SDOT will work with communities to announce, design, and implement these projects in the upcoming year.

To provide some context to the results above, with $2 million to spend on park and street improvements, we allotted a maximum of $285,000 per City Council District. After the top projects in each district were selected by voters, there was $233,019 remaining in the budget. These dollars were used to fund one additional project in the three districts with the highest voter participation (Districts 1, 2, and 5).

You will also note that the number of funded projects varies per district. This is because the fund allotment is based strictly on overall cost and not the number of projects. The funding for these projects will be included as part of the Mayor’s 2018 Proposed Budget, and the work will begin in 2018.

This is the second year we have asked residents to weigh in on how to spend a portion of the City’s budget. Last year the focus was on youth, and this year anyone over the age of 11 could participate.  We are blown away by the response with 7,737 community members voting for projects in their neighborhoods! We are so grateful to everyone who participated:

  • The community members who kicked things off in February by submitting 900 ideas for projects.
  • The community members who participated on the Project Development Teams.
  • The Vote Champions who mobilized their communities.
  • The educators in Seattle Public Schools who made sure students’ voices were heard.
  • Our Community Liaisons who were out in force with translated ballots in Arabic, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
  • The amazing City staff at libraries and community centers who facilitated in-person voting.
  • And, of course, you the voters!