Roosevelt station (Sound Transit)

Roosevelt is a future light rail station located in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is situated in the Roosevelt neighborhood in North Seattle and is being built as part of the Northgate extension of the Link light rail system, operated by Sound Transit and scheduled to open in 2021. The underground station will consist of a single island platform connected to the surface via a mezzanine and two entrances along 12th Avenue Northeast at Northeast 65th and 67th streets.


Roosevelt
Future Link light rail station
North entrance under construction in December 2019
Location12th Avenue NE & NE 65th Street
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates47°40′36″N 122°18′56″W
Operated bySound Transit
Line(s)Northgate Link Extension
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsKing County Metro
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
History
Opening2021
Services
Preceding station  
  Following station
  Future service  
Terminus
 Line 1
toward Angle Lake

Construction on the Northgate extension was approved by voters in a 2008 ballot measure and began in 2012. Two tunnel boring machines used to build the light rail tunnels arrived at Roosevelt station in 2015, on their way between Northgate and the University District.

Location

Roosevelt station is located on the west side of 12th Avenue Northeast between Northeast 65th Street and Northeast 67th Street, at the heart of the Roosevelt urban village in northern Seattle. It is adjacent to the Roosevelt Square shopping center and Roosevelt High School, with the immediate area constituting the commercial and retail core of the neighborhood. The station is also located near Ravenna Park and Green Lake, two of the largest parks in North Seattle.[1][2]

The Roosevelt area is served by King County Metro bus service on local streets, with major routes intersecting at Roosevelt Way NE and NE 65th Street.[3] Metro plans to operate its RapidRide bus rapid transit service between the station and Downtown Seattle on Roosevelt Way and 12th Avenue.[4] Northeast 66th Street, which will run between the station's two planned entrances, will be rebuilt as a "green street" with traffic calming pedestrian-friendly features.[5] A protected bike lane was installed on Roosevelt Way between NE 65th Street and the University Bridge in 2016,[6] and a set of protected lanes were installed on NE 65th Street in 2019.[7]

Transit-oriented development

The area surrounding the station consists of varied uses, including commercial and retail spaces along Roosevelt Way, 12th Avenue NE, and NE 65th Street. The largest land use is single-family homes, though multi-family residential buildings have been constructed in the 2010s in anticipation of light rail service.[8][9] Within a 1⁄2-mile (0.80 km) radius of the station, over 8,400 residents and 3,000 jobs were counted in 2013 by the Puget Sound Regional Council.[10] In 2016, residential real estate website Redfin named Roosevelt one of the nation's "hottest neighborhoods", citing recent growth in real estate prices and interest in local properties, and credited the future light rail station in that interest.[11][12]

In January 2012, the Seattle City Council approved a rezoning of the Roosevelt neighborhood to allow for residential buildings of up to 85 feet (26 m) adjacent to the station and 40 feet (12 m) in the surrounding 40-block area.[13][14] While the neighborhood was supportive of light rail construction and siting the station in the urban village, residents asked for a shorter 40 feet (12 m) height limit to preserve views of Roosevelt High School.[15]

Several parcels used for construction staging at Roosevelt station was opened up for transit-oriented development in 2020.[16] Sound Transit and the Seattle Office Housing offered $15 million in funds for affordable housing on the site to non-profit developers Bellwether Housing and Mercy Housing Northwest, who were selected in 2017.[17][18] The project, named Cedar Crossing, consists of 254 units reserved for low-income households, a child care center operated by El Centro de la Raza, and a care center for homeless families operated by Mary's Place. Construction began in 2020 and is scheduled to be complete in 2022.[19]

History
Tunnel boring machine head at Roosevelt Station, 2015

Proposals for rapid transit service through the Roosevelt neighborhood date back to the early 20th century, when the area was near the northern city limits of Seattle. In 1911, Virgil Bogue proposed an extensive rapid transit system, including an underground subway following 10th Avenue Northeast from Northeast 85th Street south towards Latona (the present-day University District) and Downtown Seattle.[20] The proposal was rejected by voters the following year,[21] but an un-adopted 1926 plan from the Planning Commission included rapid transit service to Ravenna Park and the University District.[22] The Forward Thrust plan of the late 1960s proposed building a four-line rapid transit network using $385 million in local funding to augment a larger federal contribution. One of the proposed lines, traveling between Downtown Seattle and Lake City, included a station adjacent to Roosevelt High School at Brooklyn Avenue NE and NE 65th Street.[23] The plan was put before voters on two occasions, in February 1968 and May 1970, and failed to gain the needed supermajority to pass.[24]

In the 1990s, the formation of a regional transit authority (RTA) brought light rail planning to the Seattle region. In 1995, the transit authority proposed a regional light rail system to be built by 2010, including an at-grade or underground light rail line through Roosevelt with a station in the neighborhood.[25] The RTA proposal was rejected by voters in March 1995, citing its $6.7 billion price. A smaller, $3.9 billion plan was approved in November 1996,[26] only funding light rail from the University District to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport; an extension north to Northgate via Roosevelt was deferred until additional funding could be secured.[27] In 1997, the RTA (since re-branded as Sound Transit) began exploring alignment options for the Northgate segment, with residents voicing their opposition to at-grade or elevated alignments in favor of an underground route.[28] Following several rounds of public hearings in 2000, the Sound Transit Board narrowed down the routing options to a tunnel under 12th Avenue and an elevated alignment along Interstate 5 to the west of Roosevelt's commercial district, each with a station at Northeast 65th Street.[29] Community and business groups in Roosevelt favored an underground alignment, while then Seattle mayor Greg Nickels supported the elevated station, which was less costly and closer to the Green Lake neighborhood.[30] On January 28, 2005, the Sound Transit Board unanimously approved an underground alignment with a station along 12th Avenue NE between NE 65th and 67th streets, citing a smaller-than-expected difference in cost compared to the elevated option.[31]

Funding for the Northgate extension of Link light rail, then known as "North Link", was included in the 2007 Roads and Transit ballot measure, which was put before voters in November 2007. The combined $18 billion proposal was rejected, with environmentalist groups disavowing it over the roadworks portion that sought to expand regional freeways.[32] A second, transit-only measure known as "Sound Transit 2" was approved by voters in November 2008, securing funding for a light rail extension to Northgate and further north to Lynnwood.[33]

The North Link project was approved by the Sound Transit Board in June 2012, setting a $2.1 billion budget and expected completion date of 2021.[34] The contract for tunneling and station construction was awarded to JCM Northlink LLC (a joint venture of Jay Dee, Coluccio, and Michels) for $462 million in 2013.[35] Demolition of a QFC supermarket on the site began in May 2012,[36] while buildings on 12th Avenue NE, including the Standard Records building, and townhouses on NE 66th Street were also demolished later in the year.[1][37] Sound Transit broke ground on the Northgate Link Extension project on August 17, 2012, at a ceremony on the future site of Roosevelt station.[38] The majority of design work for Roosevelt station was completed in 2014 and 2015.[1][16]

Station construction in February 2018

Tunnel boring machines for the project were launched from the north end near Northgate station in July and November 2014. The two machines arrived at Roosevelt station in March and July 2015, respectively, completing the first 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of the 3.4-mile-long (5.5 km) tunnel between Northgate and University of Washington station.[39] Both machines continued south towards U District station, arriving in November 2015 and March 2016, respectively.[40] During construction of cross-passages for the two tunnels south of Roosevelt in May 2016, a small sinkhole formed in the front yard of a house.[41]

Hoffman Construction was awarded a $152 million contract in November 2016 to build the station's floor and supporting structures.[42] Construction on Roosevelt station's interior structures began in early 2017 and reached street level the following year.[43] The construction site's prominent 280-foot (85 m) tower crane was dismantled in March 2019.[44] Construction of the station was declared substantially complete in February 2021.[45]

Station layout
Platform level view in December 2019, prior to opening
Street level To Exits/Entrances, ticket vending machines
Mezzanine
Basement Level 3
Platform
level		 Northbound ← Line 1 (under construction) toward Northgate (Terminus)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Southbound → Line 1 (under construction) toward Angle Lake (U District) →

Roosevelt station will be located on the west side of 12th Avenue Northeast on two blocks between NE 65th and 67th streets, with entrances at the two cross streets. The underground station will have three accessible levels, connected by a series of stairs, escalators and elevators: the 380-foot-long (120 m) island platform, located at a depth of 80 feet (24 m); a mezzanine; and two entrances with ticket vending machines. Bicycle parking will be available at a locked cage will be located outside the station on NE 66th Street. Four emergency ventilation shafts sit above the station's entrances.[1][46]

The station was designed by David Hewitt, whose firm will also work on Northgate station.[47] Sound Transit estimates that there will be 8,000 daily boardings at the station in 2030.[48]

Art

Public art will be integrated into the station's design in accordance with the "STart" program, which allocates a percentage of project construction funds to art projects to be used in stations.[49] Lead artist Christian French will coordinate the project, while R & R Studios and Luca Buvoli will create permanent art installations outside and inside the station.[1] A Streamline Moderne facade with neon letters preserved from the Standard Records building, which was demolished for the project,[37][50] will hang above the ticketing area at the south entrance.[46][51] An "art plaza" will be installed at the intersection of 12th Avenue NE and NE 66th Street, anchored by a 49-foot (15 m) stepped pyramid called "Building Blocks".[46][52]

References
  1. "Roosevelt Station". Sound Transit. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  2. "Northgate Link Extension Project Folio" (PDF). Sound Transit. May 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  3. Get Around U-District and Capitol Hill (PDF) (Map). King County Metro. February 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 7, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  4. "RapidRide Roosevelt". Seattle Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  5. "Light Rail Review Panel: Roosevelt Station" (PDF). Seattle Design Commission. February 19, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  6. "Roosevelt Way NE Protected Bike Lane". Seattle Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  7. "NE 65th St Vision Zero Project". Seattle Department of Transportation. July 9, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  8. "Emerald Bay planning 250 units in Roosevelt". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. December 8, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  9. Miller, Brian (October 27, 2016). "On the Block: Cranes and MUPs pop up in Roosevelt". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  10. Growing Transit Communities Oversight Committee (October 2013). "Roosevelt: Future Light Rail/Bus" (PDF). The Growing Transit Communities Strategy. Puget Sound Regional Council. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  11. Wynkoop, Gena (January 30, 2016). "Seattle's Roosevelt community makes Top 10 Hottest U.S. Neighborhoods list". Seattle Refined. KOMO 4 News. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  12. Martin, Troy (January 28, 2016). "Redfin Predicts the Hottest Neighborhoods of 2016" (Press release). Redfin. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  13. Thompson, Lynn (January 31, 2012). "6-story building heights OK'd near Seattle's Roosevelt High". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  14. Beekman, Daniel (March 13, 2015). "Seattle plans park on notorious landlords' property". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  15. Thompson, Lynn (September 18, 2011). "Roosevelt embraces change — but fights to save a view". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  16. Silver, Jon (August 15, 2016). "Crews busy at Roosevelt station site". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  17. "City announces funding for equitable community, long-term affordable homes next to future Roosevelt light rail station" (Press release). Sound Transit. August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  18. "Sound Transit selects Bellwether Housing, Mercy Housing Northwest to negotiate on major new affordable housing/retail transit-oriented development adjacent to Roosevelt light rail station" (Press release). Sound Transit. November 16, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  19. Stiles, Marc (May 13, 2020). "Bellwether, Mercy Housing begin building $105M Roosevelt project". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  20. Bogue, Virgil (1911). "Appendix No. III—Proposed Rapid Transit System". Plan of Seattle: Report of the Municipal Plans Commission. Seattle, Washington: Lowman & Hanford. p. 182. OCLC 1440455. Retrieved August 15, 2016 – via Internet Archive.
  21. McRoberts, Patrick (November 4, 1998). "Seattle defeats Bogue Improvement Plan on March 5, 1912". HistoryLink. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  22. Trimble, William Pitt (1926). Seattle Rapid Transit Report to the City Planning Commission. Seattle Planning Commission. OCLC 14264109.
  23. De Leuw, Cather & Company (February 19, 1970). "Chapter 2: Design and Development". The Rapid Transit Plan for the Metropolitan Seattle Area. Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle. p. 16. OCLC 120953.
  24. "Voters reject rail transit plan and three other Forward Thrust bond proposals on May 19, 1970". HistoryLink. September 19, 2002. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  25. "Regional Transit Service Proposal: Seattle & North King County" (PDF). Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority. March 1995. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  26. Schaefer, David (November 6, 1996). "Voters back transit plan on fourth try". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  27. "Regional transit history, 1996: Sound Move and the Regional Transit Long-Range Vision". Sound Transit. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  28. Schaefer, David (December 10, 1997). "Residents debate light-rail route: Under or out of our neighborhood, some say". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  29. "Sound Transit Board narrows light rail route options for Roosevelt and Northgate" (Press release). Sound Transit. August 23, 2000. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  30. Pryne, Eric (April 23, 2004). "Consensus reached on new light-rail line—But Sound Transit board splits on plans for Northgate route". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  31. Pryne, Eric (January 28, 2005). "Transit board OKs Roosevelt light-rail site". The Seattle Times. p. B2. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  32. Lindblom, Mike (November 29, 2007). "Prop. 1 too big, costly to pass, survey finds". The Seattle Times. p. B3. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  33. Lindblom, Mike (November 6, 2008). "How transit supporters closed deal with voters". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  34. Ervin, Kevin (June 28, 2012). "Light-rail plan moves ahead in Bellevue; UW-Northgate project OK'd". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  35. "Sound Transit Motion No. M2013-50" (PDF). Sound Transit. July 25, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  36. "Sunday Buzz: Big hole near Green Lake starts to fill up". The Seattle Times. June 3, 2012. p. D5. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  37. Kreisman, Lawrence (January 21, 2012). "Seattle's old buildings: Opportunities, not obstacles". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  38. "Sound Transit breaks ground on Northgate Link light rail extension" (Press release). Sound Transit. August 17, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  39. "Sound Transit finishes second light rail tunnel from Northgate to Roosevelt" (Press release). Sound Transit. July 13, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  40. "Second Sound Transit tunnel boring machine reaches U District Station site" (Press release). Sound Transit. March 24, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  41. Lindblom, Mike (May 2, 2016). "Sinkhole forms above Sound Transit light-rail tunnel in Roosevelt area". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  42. "Sound Transit awards contract to Hoffman Construction to build Roosevelt station for Northgate Link Extension" (Press release). Sound Transit. November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  43. "Project update: Northgate Link Extension, June 2017". Sound Transit. June 1, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  44. Lair, Alexis (April 12, 2019). ""Big Red" crane retirement marks another major step for trains to Northgate". The Platform. Sound Transit. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  45. "Construction now substantially complete on all three Northgate Link stations" (Press release). Sound Transit. February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  47. "Roosevelt Station". Hewitt Architects. Archived from the original on 2016-08-16. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  48. "Roosevelt Station" (PDF). Sound Transit. July 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  49. "STart Public Art Program". Sound Transit. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  50. McNerthney, Casey (October 22, 2012). "The Roosevelt neighborhood: Then and now". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  51. Wick, Nancy (May 11, 2011). "Sound Transit slates open houses on new stations". UW Today. University of Washington Office of News and Information. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  52. Metzger, Katie (August 19, 2019). "Art that reflects and creates community". The Platform. Sound Transit. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
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