Capitol Hill Station Sites Planning

Project Purpose

The Sound Transit Board negotiated with Portland-based Gerding Edlen to be the master developer for at the Capitol Hill light rail station.

The proposal for the site included:

• 418 apartments in four buildings with 38 percent of units to rent for less than market rate for 12 years and 86 units designated for permanent affordable housing
• 34 percent of units with at least two bedrooms
• All buildings built to a minimum of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards, with a goal of all buildings having net-zero energy consumption by 2030
• A provision of a space and a long-term lease agreement with the Broadway Farmers Market
• A community center and daycare on site with subsidized care available for low-income residents

Sound Transit and the City of Seattle established a formal Development Agreement outlining the priorities for the sites in 2013. The development was subject to the city's design review process.

The Capitol Hill Station is part of the 3.1-mile University Link light rail extension in early 2016 that provides service between downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill and the University of Washington.

For more information, read this Sound Transit press release.

Project Goals

Our goal was to achieve the community's vision for the future redevelopment of the five Capitol Hill station sites by:

• Meeting goals outlined in the Urban Design Framework for the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station Sites
• Implementing the new site-specific design guidelines

The End Result

The redevelopment of the Capitol Hill light rail station sites is a model of transit-oriented development and creates a new civic heart for the Capitol Hill community.

Documents

Legislation Documents

• Legislation
• Development Agreement
• Site-Specific Design Guidelines
• Director's Report

SEPA Documents

• SEPA Notice
• SEPA Checklist
• SEPA Determination

Urban Design Workshops
Three public workshops were held to help us develop an Urban Design Framework for the redevelopment area:

• February 12, 2011: Urban Design Framework Workshop #3 — Management, Programming and Maintenance
  • Agenda
  • Background Information
  • Blue Team Notes
  • Green Team Notes
  • Red Team Notes
• January 22, 2011: Urban Design Framework Workshop #2 — Design
  • Agenda
  • Mass and Scale Scenarios
  • Mass and Scale Scenarios Sections
  • Scenarios Street Level
  • Streetscape Image Examples
  • Transportation Context Map
  • Orange Team Notes
  • Red Team Notes
  • Green Team Notes
  • Blue Team Notes
  • Workshop Sketches — All Teams
• October 16, 2010: Urban Design Framework Workshop #1 — Desired Uses
  • Agenda
  • Background Information by Topic (text only)
  • Question Sheets with Background Information
  • Station Area Site Plan
  • Station Area General Zoning Envelopes
  • Broadway Recent Development Examples
  • Workshop Summary Findings
  • Blue Team Notes
  • Green Team Notes
  • Red Team Notes
  • Workshop Summary Diagram

Urban Design Framework

• Urban Design Framework for the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station Sites (October 2011)
• Urban Design Framework for the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station Sites Technical Appendix and Related Resources (October 2011)

Our framework describes the community’s vision for the redevelopment of the Capitol Hill light rail station sites including development and design guidance to future developers. Our framework informed the terms of a development agreement with Sound Transit.

Capitol Hill Light Rail Station Area Open House

• Presentation (September 2012)
• Meeting Displays
• Fact Sheets

Other Documents

• Sound Transit Coordinated Development Plan (revised March 2013)
• Term Sheet between City of Seattle and Sound Transit
• Term Sheet - Exhibit A
• Draft Site-Specific Design Guidelines
• Capitol Hill Champion Description
• Champion Charter
• Capitol Hill Champion Roster