Contact: Email: BenBroesamle,CoalitionCoordinator, contact@nwseattlecoalition.org / / / / April25,2016 TO: THESOUNDTRANSITBOARD CC: EDMURRAY,Mayor,CityofSeattle SEATTLECITYCOUNCIL KINGCOUNTYCOUNCIL RICIGENFRITZ,ExecutiveDirectorofPlanning,EnvironmentalandProject Development,SoundTransit KARENKITSIS,PlanningandProjectDevelopmentManager,SoundTransit SCOTTKUBLY,Director,SeattleDepartmentofTransportation ANDREWGLASSSHASTINGS,TransitandMobilityDivisionDirector,CityofSeattle TheSoundTransit3ContactEmailAddress FROM: RE: NORTHWESTSEATTLECOALITIONSSOUNDTRANSIT3 BROADCOALITIONREQUESTSACCELERATEDDELIVERYOFLIGHTRAILTUNNEL UNDERSHIPCANAL&NOATSGRADELIGHTRAIL ThecommunitiesandbusinessesthatmakeuptheNorthwestSeattleCoalitionstraddlethe ElliottAvenueWestand15 th AvenueWestcorridor,spanningnorthandsouthoftheShipCanal. Ourcommunitiesareattheeyeofthegrowthstormandfavoraggressivedeliveryofreliable transittorelievecurrentcongestionandhelpmeetthemobilityneedsoffuturepopulation growth.unfortunately,thedraftsoundtransit3(st3)systemplanreleasedforpublic commentinmarchconsignsourcommunitiestopaying$500ormoreperhouseholdinnew taxesfor22years,bringingthetotalto$11,000ormore,beforereceivingthelightrailweare promised.thedraftst3packagewouldconstructlightrailrunningatsgradeinthemiddleof Elliotand15thAvenuesWestandutilizingadrawbridgeovertheshipcanal.Thisraillinewill havefarmorenegativeconstructionimpactandbemuchlessreliablepermanentlythanis acceptable.itmustbeimproved.thenorthwestseattlecoalitionadvocatesstronglyforthe WestInterbay,between18 th and20 th AvenuesWest,andaTunnelundertheShipCanalroute toballard. Ascurrentlyconfigured,theST3packagewillbeahardsellinourcommunitiesbecauseit exactstoomanytaxeswithoutdeliveringthemostreliable,rapidtransitoptionthecorridorso badlyneeds.thecompromisedraftsystemplanrouteproposedwillalsotaketoolongto construct. 1of5

TheST3measureneedsourcommunities unqualifiedendorsementandsupportifitistobe enactedinnovember.thereasonst3needsstrongsupportfromourcommunitiesisinthe electoralnumbers.thereare102,000registeredvotersinthe36 th legislativedistrict(ten percentofkingcountyvoters).electionrecordsshowthatourcommunitieshaveboththe highestpercentageofregisteredvotersandthehighestpercentageofvoterparticipationinthe state(over85%innovember,2012).simplyput,thestboardneedsoverwhelmingsupportin ourcommunitiestoincreasethelikelihoodthatst3willpassthroughoutitstriscountyservice area. TheElliottAvenueand15 th AvenueWestcorridor,theaortaofourcommunities,had54,500 carscrossingtheballardbridgedailyin2014,overdoublethetrafficofmartinlutherkingway South.Thiscorridorhasbecomecongestedonadailybasisandisbecomingmoreso.Ballard hasgrownbyabout2,000privateparkingspacesinrecentyears.theinterbayneighborhoodis projectedtogrowsimilarly.expediaproposestoadd2,000parkingspacestoitscampus,which willopenin2019.theelliott/15thcorridoroperateslikeasectionofplumbingpipewithcontrol valvesattheballardbridgeandwherethecorridormeetsdowntownatdennyway.whenthe controlvalvesareplugged,nothingmoves.tothismix,st3proposestoremoveupto50%of theexistingcarcapacity(twotravellanes)onelliotavenueand15thavenuewestandto perpetuatethecurrent controlvalve impedimentbyusingadrawbridgetocrosstheship canal.thefinalroutemustenhance,andnotdiminishthecurrentandpotentialfuturecarrying capacityoftheentire15thavenuewestcorridor,bothduringandafterconstruction,all withoutblockingresidents,workersandpatronsfromcrossingthestreet. Ourcoalitionhaspreviouslyrecommendedalternativesthatdelivermuchmorereliable,rapid transitserviceatcomparablecost.thesealternatives,whichinvolve:usingacorridortothe westof15thavenuewest;crossingtheshipcanalbymeansofatunnel;andconstructingan undergroundstationinballardwiththebestoptionsfornorthernandeasternexpansion capabilityidentifiedinsoundtransitplanningdocumentsasalternativecs01c.ourreasonsfor continuingtorecommendthisalternative,andrelatedreasoningforconstructingthemost reliableandcosteffectiverapidtransitsystemaredetailedintheattachedwhitepaper. Inadditiontomorereliableservice,weneedlightrailmuchsoonerthan22yearsfromnow. WebelievethatSoundTransit sprioritymustbefirsttodeliverareliableshipcanaltunnel crossingtothehighestridershipcorridorproposedinst3andsecondtoensurethefastest deliveryschedulepossible. Getting ST3 right is essential if the measure is to be embraced by the voters. Thank you for considering our views. Please direct questions about our letter and white paper to Ben Broesamle, the contact and coordinator for the Coalition and Chair of the Transportation CommitteeoftheMagnoliaCommunityCouncil.Hecanbereachedbycellphoneat(310)562S 2759andbyemailatcontact@nwseattlecoalition.org. 2of5

3of5 TheCoalitionissendingthisletterwiththesignatoriesofthirteencurrentofficialSmember organizationsbelow.thecoalitioncontinuestogrowasadditionalorganizationsofficially decidetojointoouradvocacy. Verytrulyyours, MikeStewart,ExecutiveDirector BallardChamberofCommerce CatherineWeatbrook,CoSChair,Urban DesignandTransportationCommittee, BallardPartnershipforSmartGrowth BertHopkins,President CrownHillNeighborhoodAssociation GregCarnese,ExecutiveDirector MagnoliaChamberofCommerce SteveDeForest,Chair MagnoliaQueenAnneDist.Council TomMalone,CoSChair,UrbanDesign andtransportationcommittee, BallardPartnershipforSmartGrowth MichaelKahrs,President CentralBallardResident sassociation JeffThompson,CoSFounder InterbayNeighborhoodAssociation BruceD.Carter,CoSPresident MagnoliaCommunityCouncil EugeneWasserman,President NorthSeattleIndustrialAssociation

CharleyShore,ExecutiveDirector QueenAnneChamberofCommerce MichaelK.Davis,TransportationCommittee Chair,UptownAlliance EllenMonrad,Chair QueenAnneCommunityCouncil SuePierce,Chair WestWoodlandNeighborhoodAssoc. 4of5

TUNNEL NW MARKET STREET Ballard SR 99 I-5 Salmon Bay Crossing MOVABLE BRIDGE NEW DOWNTOWN SEATTLE TUNNEL 1st Ave N PRIORTIZED Pine St Westlake Ave N Denny Way W DRAVUS STREET 20 TH Ave. Daily Traffic: 6,600 15TH AVENUE W ELLIOT AVENUE W Interbay 15 TH Ave. Daily Traffic: 40,900-54,500 Smith Cove Seattle Center South Lake Union Denny SR 520 Madison St DELAYED CONSTRUCTION OR PROVISIONAL S Jackson St S Royal Brougham Way 5th Ave S 5th Ave S MAP KEY REQUESTED ROUTE ELEVATED TUNNEL STATION AREA SR 99 Westlake Midtown International District/ Chinatown I-90 SOUND TRANSIT PROPOSED ROUTE AT GRADE ELEVATED TUNNEL STATION AREA LIGHT RAIL ST2 To West Seattle I-5 To Tacoma MLK Way Daily Traffic: 22,000 5of5