Seattle to Build Housing Alongside Light Rail

Seattle’s Link light rail used an area the size of a city block during its construction of an underground station. Now that the station is built, the city is putting that land to work. "Rather than leave it vacant or sell it to a developer to build market-rate housing, the owner of the land, Sound Transit, Puget Sound’s transportation authority, worked with Seattle’s Office of Housing and other local agencies to fill the lot with affordable housing," writes Hallie Golden.

Access to transit can add to the value of affordable housing by giving its residents access to more jobs and city resources. This development will be next to the new station. "The land will soon be home to four buildings with 428 apartments," reports Golden.

If this project is successful, the same strategies could be employed near other new stations. "As Sound Transit’s light rail expansion goes beyond simply the Seattle area, there will be a multitude of stations in neighboring cities, likely producing many more pieces of leftover land that could be used for affordable housing," according to Golden.