Seattle Department of Transportation JUDKINS PARK STATION ACCESS STUDY Seattle Department of Transportation THANK YOU Special thanks to the entire Judkins Park community for their attendance and active participation in Station Access Study events, meetings, and surveys. SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF OUTSIDE AGENCY STAFF TRANSPORTATION STAFF Quanlin Hu, Seattle Office of Planning Dongho Chang and Community Development Evan Corey Costagliola Celeste Gilman, Washington State Department Jim Curtin of Transportation Carter Danne Thomas Noyes, Washington State Department of Transportation Brian Dougherty Zack Ambrose, Sound Transit Adonis Ducksworth David Graves, Seattle Department of Parks Chris Eaves and Recreation Emily Ehlers Ayelet Ezran OUTREACH ADVISORS Monisha Harrell, Rule Seven Allie Gerlach Ben Han, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Rachel Huck Sahar Fathi, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Summer Jawson Amy Huang, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Aditi Kambuj Tracy Krawczyk ACCESS STUDY PROJECT TEAM Serena Lehman SDOT Jonathan Lewis Ian Macek, Project Manager Venu Nemani Chisaki Muraki-Valdovinos, Deputy Project Manager Adam Parast MAKERS Trevor Partap John Owen Dawn Schellenberg Rachel Miller Ben Smith Fehr & Peers Alison Townsend Chris Breiland Jonathan Williams Aaron Gooze CONTENTS 1. STUDY PURPOSE 1 Special street 35 Bike lanes on Martin Luther King Jr Way S 36 Challenges this study addresses 2 MTS Trail – Lights 37 Study purpose 3 MTS Trail – Pedestrian/bicycle distinction 38 MTS Trail – Connections 39 2. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 4 Rainier Ave S – I-90 underpass activation 40 Judkins Park Trail improvements 41 3. COMMUNITY VISION 6 Improve steep terrain connections 42 Vision 6 Parking management 43 Principles 6 Accessible pedestrian signals 44 Priorities 8 Massachusetts St intersection improvements 46 S Judkins St/21st Ave S visibility 47 4. BACKGROUND 9 Dearborn greenway 48 Related plans 9 Additional projects 49 Existing conditions 12 6. NEXT STEPS 52 5. PROJECTS 19 Evaluation method 19 Transformational projects 22 Quick wins 22 APPENDICES Rainier Ave S – Pedestrian improvements 23 A. Community’s Land Use Ideas A-1 Rainier Ave S – Triangular blocks 27 B. Meeting Materials and Results B-1 Rainier Ave S – I-90 on and off ramps 29 C. Online Survey Results C-1 Rainier Ave S – Bicycle study 31 D. Judkins Park: Station Access East entry mobility hub 32 Analysis Memo D-1 JUDKINS PARK STATION ACCESS STUDY | III FIGURES TABLES Figure 1. Neighborhood context map 2 Table 1. Community engagement activities 5 Figure 2. Community priorities 7 Table 2. Additional projects 50 Figure 3. Priority Investment Network (PIN) map (SDOT Pedestrian Master Plan, 2017) 10 Figure 4. Existing conditions and planned projects 11 Figure 5. Regional transit context map (existing and planned) 12 Figure 6. Zoning map 13 Figure 7. Existing bicycle facilities map 14 Figure 8. Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Analysis (BPSA) locations map 15 Figure 9. Existing sidewalks map 16 Figure 10. 2014 vehicle flow counts 17 Figure 11. Transit routes and daily boardings map 18 Figure 12. Project list development and prioritization process 19 Figure 13. Evaluation criteria 20 Figure 14. Prioritized projects 21 Figure 15. Rainier Ave S and S Charles St pedestrian improvements 25 Figure 16. Rainier Ave S and S Massachusetts St pedestrian improvements 25 Figure 17. Rainier Ave S and S Bayview St pedestrian improvements 26 Figure 18. Ideas for improved pedestrian spaces at triangle blocks 28 Figure 19. Short-term I-90 ramps potential improvements 30 Figure 20. Long-term goal of “urban” right angle intersections 30 Figure 21. East entry mobility hub ideas 34 Figure 22. MTS Trail heads in North Beacon Hill 40 Figure 23. Accessibility treatments map 46 IV | SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 1. STUDY PURPOSE The neighborhoods around the future Judkins In particular, SDOT is looking to improve how Park light rail station, set to open in 2023, are people can safely and comfortably: already changing. New buildings are popping • Get to and from the future light rail station up, zoning updates are under discussion, and street and circulation improvements are on • Use streets, trails, and bicycle routes in the table. To ensure that all these changes the area work in concert with community interests • Access businesses and key destinations and light rail, the Seattle Department of • Transfer between modes (e.g., from bus to Transportation (SDOT) and the Office of light rail) Planning and Community Development (OPCD) partnered to ask community OPCD’s intent is to: members how they want the area to look, • Provide land use regulations and feel, and function over time. Discussion standards that meet the needs of current focused on identifying local improvements and future development consistent with that could increase access to light rail the area’s proximity to a light rail station and the neighborhoods and aligning land • Support the economic vitality of the use regulations with the City’s Mandatory commercial and industrial uses for Housing Affordability process and commercial existing and future businesses zoning updates. • Coordinate and leverage public and private investments and activities Participants identify issues at the SDOT Rainier Valley Open House. JUDKINS PARK STATION ACCESS STUDY | 1 CHALLENGES THIS STUDY The new station is likely to be busy. Sound ADDRESSES Transit’s East Link Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) estimates that 1,770 people The future Judkins Park light rail station is at will arrive and depart from the Judkins Park the center of an area historically divided by Station by 2030, with 45% coming and going I-90, topography, discontinuous streets, and by foot or bicycle, 42% by bus, and 12% by uninviting paths. Strong neighborhoods exist pick-up/drop-off. A recent study (Appendix D) near the station (as shown with purple arrows suggests that even more bicyclist and drop-off in Figure 1), but no neighborhood or activity passengers may be likely. center ties the area together at the station. Additionally, the pedestrian environment along Local draws such as schools, businesses on Rainier Ave S is particularly uncomfortable Rainier Ave S, the Eritrean Community Center, and difficult with fast traffic, freeway ramps, the Northwest African American Museum narrow sidewalks, and few amenities to buffer (NAAM), Lighthouse for the Blind, services in JUDKINSpedestrians PARK STATION from AREA traffic STUDY or offer respite. the 2100 Building, and a large park system FContextIGURE 1. NEIGHBORHOOD and CONTEXT Purpose MAP Goodwill Washington Middle School S Dearborn St S Rainier Ave S, though Artspace S R Hiawatha Pl S important for freight, buses, e a v in S Charles St A and other north-south #!"90 i Judkins Park e d S r r t vehicular travel, is a Pacific u Seattle A and Playfield 3 r 2 Medical g v u Bouldering e MLKJr Way challenging environment for Center s S A Project Cen S Norman St v M tra e l Di pedestrians and cyclists. Dr Jose S str Lewis o Sturgus ict Rizal Park u Park n Park t S Judkins St a S in M ear e I-90 and large parks with few TS D bor v N s n A Co tor Thurgood Marshall t o t nnec Tr s north-south paths physically r o ail Elementary School 1 t 3 h S S o divide the neighborhoods. B u oun e n o S d Trail v FUTURE STATION t e d Sam Smith ns A i a M a h c T t t Park o n o r Eritrean u 2 ail 1 n Community Jimi Hendrix S Atlantic St Ensure existing community H Center il NAAM Park gathering spaces, hotspots, l Toshio’s er Teriyaki S Massachusetts St M k S t a and assets are well- Hamlin B e S State St v Robinson Colman A connected with safe and School Bradner h Playground t Stewart 8 Gardens comfortable paths. 1 Lumber Valley S Grand St Park Colman nier Beacon Hill ai Cash & Kusak S Holgate St American Park R Carry Red Cross Amy Yee Playground Glass S S Plum Tennis e St Connect neighborhoods v Oriental A Center Meats h historically divided by I-90, t 5 S Hill St Lighthouse for 1 S topography, parks, 2100 the Blind e S v Building e A discontinuous street, and S Walker St v h A t Beacon Ave S 0 h t 2 uninviting paths. 8 S 2 e v Borrachini’s A Bakery h t 5 2 Steep topography inhibits Pepsi east-west mobility. Feet S Bayview St 0 400 800 N OTHER FEATURES Future light rail Existing bike lane station entry Existing neighborhood Existing multi-use trail greenway 2 | SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION make the area a daily destination. Notably, the Judkins Park station will be the only Seattle station with direct access to a major park. Making sure people can get to area assets in a safe and comfortable way is challenging, especially for non-motorized travelers and people with disabilities. STUDY PURPOSE The access study proposes ways to improve connections to the station and the neighborhood’s assets and to promote a livelier and safer station area. The overall vision and project principles are described in Chapter 4, and prioritized project information is in Chapter 5. GOAL Propose, analyze, and develop concepts for improving access to the Judkins Park light rail station and neighborhood. PROJECT TASKS • Identify potential station and neighborhood multimodal access and circulation improvements • Identify potential urban design recommendations to address issues of safety, reinforcing and enhancing a sense of place, activation, wayfinding, and equitable and universal access • Conduct fatal flaw assessment of these potential improvements • Develop initial concepts and planning-level cost estimates for potential improvements Lighthouse for the Blind employees walk to a • Help the City identify and move forward bus stop. on potential partnering opportunities with Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Sound Transit, and others • Coordinate public engagement with other City projects and agency partners JUDKINS PARK STATION ACCESS STUDY | 3 2.