"The Love Train" — Call for Jackson extension at streetcar meeting

Thursday’s special meeting of the City Council’s transportation committee at First Hill’s Seattle First Baptist Church was positioned by city officials as a final opportunity for the community to provide public feedback on the planned streetcar line that will connect the International District to Capitol Hill via First Hill. Only eight people spoke, six of them spoke in favor of the plan. The meeting was over in under 40 minutes.

“There’s a lot of support for seeing this go forward,” Council member Nick Licata said, summing up the mostly quiet hearing.

The plan can now move forward to a vote. Transportation committee head Council member Tom Rasmussen said the committee will take up the resolution to approve the plan in its next session on April 27. Assuming it passes out of committee, the legislation will move to the full Council for a vote on May 3.

Once that happens, there will be plenty more to talk about including how the Council and SDOT will finalize elements of the streetcar plan such as locations for storage and maintenance facilities for the new line.

James Kelly, president of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle and co-founder of the Street Car Alliance, voiced his support for the streetcar plan but also said the Council should be working harder to make sure the city has more “shovel ready” projects planned. “I’m here to encourage the Council to consider formal support for other small extensions to the streetcar network, such as a 10-block extension to Jackson in the Central District, extension of the South Lake Union line to Eastlake and to Pike Place Market,” Kelly said. He also wins points for asking the Council to get on board the  “The Love Train” and support the extension to 23rd and Jackson.

0 thoughts on “"The Love Train" — Call for Jackson extension at streetcar meeting

  1. The street car should go up to 31st like it did decades ago. 31st will be it’s turn around.

  2. To extend the line to 23rd may make sense, since 23rd & Jackson is a commercial district.
    To extend it to 31st only takes it into residential areas–at a great cost to home values, with little return on the huge investment it takes to build.
    At 23rd, riders can transfer to any number of buses.
    NOT FURTHER!

  3. I’d love it if the street car went past 23rd to MLK then down to Madison, making a loop. Hooey @ property values decreasing because of a street car. Increasing would be more like it, just ask the folks on Beacon Hill who are dying for it.

  4. Gracie, you so crazy. If it makes it to 31st, it’ll definitely improve home values on adjacent blocks. Here’s why: fewer buses. Nuff said.

  5. You must live near 31st and Jackson and drive a car everywhere. If you just take it to 23rd you must take out businesses for a turn around track. At 31st there is room and historically a street car ran through there to Leshi.

  6. East of MLK are homes, churches & one family pizza place…if you want to take it down MLK, be my guest. That actually makes sense, but to 31st, no.
    I know that historically there were streetcars to 31st, but that was an era ago…and nope, I don’t live there, NOR do I drive everywhere.

  7. As noted, people on Beacon Hill are happy for the new transit coming their way, and near by property has jumped in value. How could more efficient transportation be a bad thing for an area like ours? I would love to totally get rid of my car, but with our current local transportation options, it really would not be feasable for me at this time.

  8. I would think residents would prefer to hop on a streetcar as opposed to having to connect to/from a bus. If anything, values should increase and possibly give way to new development.