TOD on MLK


[ “Othello South” rendering by Ruffcorn Mott Hinthorne Stine ]

This widget rocks — the Seattle Times is all over the future of TOD (transit-oriented development) along the Martin Luther King light rail corridor.

“Over the past year private, for-profit developers have proposed more than 1,500 condo and apartment units within a 10-minute walk of a rail station.”

This is why light rail is worth the financial hit — it’s a catalyst for focussed development. It’s unfortunate, however, that none of the proposed buildings exceeds six stories — that’s all the current zoning allows. And the new buildings at Rainier Vista top out at only four stories. Not that we need to go nuts with skyscrapers, but it would make sense for the City to permit something like 10 or 12 stories in certain well chosen locations around the light rail stations. The higher the density, the more dividends on the light rail investment.

(Also note a few more apartments to add to my list, including 400 units in Harbor Properties’ St. Gobain project in Columbia City, and 730 units in Othello Partners’ two buildings at the Othello Station.)