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A Dearth of Public Transit

The supporters of the supersized Town center hope that it will attract transit serving the Link station in Marymoor as well as a future Link station in Issaquah. This proposal has been part of the Town Center plan for some time now.





However, when it comes to transit, the realities are quite different from what was initially proposed. Sammamish is considered a transit desert due to its limited public transportation options. There is only one Metro line with service at 30-minute intervals, which runs along 228th Street and goes to Overlake. The Metro development plan does not show any increase in service to the Sammamish area until 2029.


Sound Transit operates under a 20-year plan that stretches until 2045, but it includes no service to Sammamish. However, there is a proposed Park and Ride facility located on 228th or Sahale Way, which will be built by 2045. The Sound Transit plan never starts new projects between ballot measures, and it has a history of missing its project timelines and budgets.


The King County Metro long-range development plan, known as Metro Connects, extends to 2050 and coordinates well with the overall Sound Transit plan. It includes one express and one local service line in Sammamish by 2050, but these services would have to run in existing traffic on the existing streets without any plans for increasing street capacity.


The connection of interest for the next 20 years is between Town Center and Marymoor Station. However, it's challenging due to topography and existing residences, which makes it very expensive. The bus ride from the Town center area to the Marymoor Link station can take up to 30 minutes, and this time could be even greater in future years when there are more commuters on the road.


The capacity issue is also a significant concern. A Metro bus can carry approximately 100 passengers, sitting and standing. With six dedicated buses departing every 10 minutes, they can move about 600 people per hour. This would only account for a modest fraction of the 5000 or so commuters generated by the supersized Town Center.


In summary, the proposed transit options for the supersized Town center are limited by the existing public transportation infrastructure in Sammamish and the surrounding area. The development plans for Sound Transit and King County Metro show that there is no immediate solution to address this issue.

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