June 21, 2023

Sound Transit readying Lynnwood site for affordable housing RFP

Photo via Sound Transit [enlarge]

Looking roughly north, the corner parking lot at left (west) is set for disposition.

As its tracks, stations and associated garages take shape, Sound Transit regularly issues requests for proposals to create housing — most if not all of it to be affordable — near those transit future hubs. This year the agency is planning to issue RFPs for a pair of prize sites. One is its property on Northeast 45th Street, near U District Station, presently used as a tiny-house village. The DJC covered that in February, and we'll recap details below.

The second is next to Lynnwood City Center Station, with about 2 acres at or near 4520 200th St. S.W. That's on the corner of 46th Avenue West, north of the tracks and new five-story parking garage, with an irregular rectangular shape. (Boundary line adjustments will be needed.) The station should open next year, and the TOD site — now surface parking — will be available by the fourth quarter of 2024.

This to be the agency's first transit oriented development site in Snohomish County. Community outreach began last year; and Sound Transit conducted open houses with interested developers this spring.

In its recent first quarter TOD report, the agency does offer one explicit warning: “The property is impacted by an onsite piped stream that will require daylighting and restoration, which, while adding additional risk and cost to the project, will result in new habitat for native, endangered salmonid species.”

Sound Transit is seeking funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation, and others, to cover that cost.

The city of Lynnwood previously upzoned that area, also near the existing transit center, in anticipation of the coming light rail extension. To date, all new construction in that area has been midrise, which seems likely for the Sound Transit site. (Cosmos Development recently scaled back an old 17-story plan to eight stories; that's closer to the future West Alderwood Station.)

Sound Transit's board will first have to approve the terms for the Lynnwood RFP, which will likely come this fall. Interested developers will have to adhere to the agency's 80/80 rule. That is, 80% of the units should be affordable to households earning up to 80% of area median income. The agency also encourages lower affordability thresholds, down to 60% of AMI for some (but not all) units.

Using the agency's math, the Lynnwood site could yield around 200 units. The same number is anticipated for the University district site, at 1000 N.E. 45th St. It's much smaller, with around 18,000 square feet, but has high-rise zoning. The city is meanwhile expected to pre-approve an alley vacation for the property before the RFP for that.

For both properties, Sound Transit expects the land sales to come next year. As with prior deals near Roosevelt Station, Capitol Hill Station, etc., the RFP winner will have to start construction within an agreed time span. For now, 2025 is the soft anticipated start date for the two TOD sites.

The agency's most recent RFP award came last month, at Overlake Village Station in Redmond, where Bellwether Housing is planning a 333-unit midrise building with VIA (a Perkins Eastman Studio).

And in the future are offerings in Federal Way and at Mount Baker Station, the latter also to include some city-owned land.