Skip to main content

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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Join the discussion, but anonymous trolling is not allowed. Feel free to disagree, but be polite. Name-calling, sarcasm, condescension, and aggression will result in your comment being removed.

Popular posts from this blog

📣 The Votes Are In on the Sammamish Town Center Plan — What’s Next?

  The Votes Are In on the Sammamish Town Center Plan City Council Passes Action Alternative (4,000 units, 85’ buildings) Before the final vote was accepted, Councilmember Kent Treen presented three alternative motions: 1. A hybrid option that would keep the 2,000-unit cap. Councilmember Lam seconded the motion. After discussion, the Council voted 6–1 against approving it. 2. Two additional alternatives were also introduced by Councilmember Treen but did not receive a second and therefore did not move forward. At the July 15, 2025 Sammamish City Council meeting, the Council voted on the future of the Town Center. They were asked to select one of three proposed alternatives: Proposed Options: 1. No Action Alternative Keeps the current cap of 2,000 housing units. Likely results in mostly townhomes and fewer community amenities such as retail, restaurants, and civic spaces. 2. Action Alternative Allows up to 4,000 units with a mix of apartments and condos, plus retail, restaurant, and...
5 comments
Read more

A Former Sammamish Mayor's Thoughts

Read what the former Mayor of Sammamish, Tom Odell, wrote about the changes the current City Council is considering and how far they've come since the early plans in 2007 and 2010. Rolled up Newspaper by 2happy.  Do you realize how different the current considerations are from the original concepts? Republished here with permission. Opinion: let the residents vote on doubling the Town Center size By Tom Odell Former Mayor and City Council Member The 2025 Sammamish City Council is considering proposed changes to the Sammamish Town Center project that was originally approved by the 2010 City Council.   I doubt if very many people got the notice regarding the changes as there is only a requirement that it be distributed to the affected and immediate “neighborhood”.  The current definition of the required notice area is very geographically limited.  Others living outside must request to be notified (I did).  It is likely that very few Sammamish residents have d...
2 comments
Read more

No Plan for Affordable Housing

The City Council has repeatedly said that Sammamish is required to have affordable housing. True. They have also repeatedly said that a 4000 unit Town Center is required to provide affordable housing. Not true. Sammamish has a Growth Management Act requirement to plan for, accommodate and enable affordable housing, but not just any affordable housing .  Sammamish has been allocated a target of 1549 units of Extremely Low Income Housing. The Draft Town Center Plan and Draft Code Amendment provide nothing for this housing that is not already in the Comprehensive Plan and current Municipal Code. Who qualifies for Extremely Low Income Housing? This category could include people making less than minimum wage, some part time workers and people with only government benefit income. Eligible income is less than $33,000 for one person. Household income can be approximately $4000 higher per person for larger households. Most of the potential tenants will need support services for disabilit...
2 comments
Read more