County brings transit home — literally

E-mail this article Print this article

A new King County project is making it possible for bus riders to live at their stop. The first of what the county calls "transit-oriented communities" — apartment complexes that share land with park-and-ride lots — opens tomorrow in Redmond. It is the first project of its kind in the country, say county officials.

The three-building development, called The Village at Overlake Station, is aimed at weaning residents from their cars while promoting public transit and providing affordable housing for urban workers.

Besides having the park-and-ride at their front door, residents will have a day-care center on site, free bus passes and parking spots for Flex Car, a local car-sharing program.

"Residents can roll out of bed, drop their kids off at the day-care center, get to the elevator and go downstairs to the transit center," said Rhonda Rosenberg of the King County Housing Authority, which helped provide financing for the building.

The project is the fruit of a public-private partnership financed through tax credits and other incentives to keep units affordable for tenants earning 60 percent or less of the median income.

County officials plan to build more such projects through the 3-year-old Transit-Oriented Development program (TOD), which tries to curb urban sprawl by building housing and amenities such as libraries and shopping centers on and around park-and-ride lots.

The next project to open will be Metropolitan Place, a 90-unit building under construction in downtown Renton that's scheduled for completion next month or February.

"It's nothing new. It's just basically more dense development around transit," said Ed Walker, a TOD manager.

Officials promise that the parade of buses coming and going will not be a nuisance to those living in apartments above. Buses will pick up passengers at a turnaround in front of the building, 80 feet from the closest units. A metal and glass awning above the stops will shield apartments from engine noise and fumes, said Dan Watson, assistant executive director of the housing authority.

The new apartments, all with dishwashers and large, walk-in closets, range from 480-square-foot studios to one-, two- or three-bedroom units, the biggest ones 1,137 square feet. Rents run from $660 to $1,005 a month.

Tenants in west-facing upper-floor units will have views of the Seattle and Bellevue skylines.

One-third of the units have already been rented, and about 30 are occupied. Officials predict the complex will fill up fast because it offers lower-income workers such as clerks, laborers and beginning teachers attractive housing in an upscale neighborhood bursting with amenities and job opportunities. The building is next door to Group Health Cooperative and the Microsoft campus and is within walking distance of hundreds of stores.

Grand Opening The grand-opening ceremony for The Village at Overlake Station will be tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at 2650 152nd Ave. N.E., Redmond. For information, call Rhonda Rosenberg, King County Housing Authority, 206-574-1185.

The complex was designed to discourage residents from owning more than one car. Each unit is guaranteed one on-site parking spot. In addition, there will be 150 spots reserved for daytime commuters using the park and ride; residents will be able to park in those spaces at night.

Rosenberg predicts that the lack of parking for a second car won't be a problem for many of the families moving in.

"For people at this income level, the ability to not have to have two cars is very freeing," she said.

The county is considering similar projects for a number of other cities.

So far, only one building at the village is open and ready for business. The other two are expected to be completed by April, with the transit center set to open Feb. 15. The day-care center, which will serve more then 50 infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers, likely won't open until July.

Prospective tenants will be able to tour the site at tomorrow's kickoff, at which King County Executive Ron Sims, U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, and other officials will speak.

Catherine Tarpley can be reached at 206-464-8255.

-->