A Partnership for Equitable TOD

Best Practices and Benefits

Best Practices Benefits Align and orient policy toward each others TOD goals without mission creep

Increased feasibility of projects

Work with community to identify desired TOD outcomes upfront where possible

Achieve neighborhood plan goals

Provide opportunities to review each other’s work

Increased ridership

Joint problem solving and established communication structures

Community building

Share project risk Public will for future affordable housing levy and transit expansion ballot measures

Joint RFPs and selection processes Trust between partners and a better understanding of how to work together

Project Overview – Capitol Hill

• 5 development sites – 4 in current procurement • Minimum of 397 units • Required participation in the MFTE program for all

market rate buildings – results in 20% affordable for 12 years.

• Site B-north is affordable at or below 60% AMI for 50 years.

• Large publicly accessible plaza built to suit the Broadway Farmers Market

• Ability to include community center without impacting available FAR

• Favorable scoring for retail strategy that includes flexible space and smaller retailers

• Parking at or below .7 for residential • LEED Silver/ Evergreen Standard at minimum • Denny Way is a Festival Street

• Sound Transit had existing policies that related to

TOD, but no single policy that directed how and

when engagement by TOD staff would begin

• The City of Seattle had no TOD implementation

policy and limited implementation capacity

• Federal funding in the dirt required ST not give up

Fair Market Value. In practice this was

complicated.

• Zoning regulations were updated concurrent with

TOD process – extended the process

Policy – Capitol Hill TOD

Relationship – Capitol Hill TOD

ST – City of Seattle ST- Sea - Community Timing of the Comp plan update got the project off to an awkward start

Very vocal and well organized community and Public Development Authority (The Champion)

Challenging communication between ST and the City obscured project goals

Community expectations about their level of involvement was out of sync with Sound Transit’s

Sound Transit’s tight schedule for project delivery of the light rail station added complication.

Conflicting goals necessitated pauses in negotiations to elevate discussion to leadership

Frequent communication, understanding of each others constrains, shared process and defined roles helped tremendously

Mechanics – Capitol Hill TOD

ST lead public outreach beginning in 2006 City updated comp plan through Urban Design Framework in 2010 City guaranteed acquisition funding for 100% affordable site ST created a Coordinated Development plan 2013 City and ST Negotiated the Development Agreement signed in 2013 Collaboration on RFQ/RFP structure/scoring 2013-2014 Co-developed elements of the RFP 2013 - 2014 Joint selection panel 2014

• A successful partnership between the City and ST that achieves great affordability, while achieving ST goals and other community goals

• 38% of units affordable for 12 years, 22% affordable for 50 years

• Tremendous public amenities while adding riders to the station and not diminishing ST’s fair market value

Benefits – Capitol Hill TOD

Dedicated 100% affordable housing

Denny Festival Street

Amenity Areas in CDP

• ST owned a 34,000 sf site adjacent to a Transit

Power Sub Station and the station

• Required an LBA and permitting of additional

access to the TPSS

• In negotiations to build 108 units. More than half

are family-sized

• One tower at 30% AMI the other at 60% AMI

• 10,000 sf Commercial space with Tenant

• Support services and amenity areas for residents

• Parking below .7

Project Overview- Othello

• In 2012 ST adopted a new TOD policy directing

early and continual engagement by TOD staff

and defined the agency’s role in agency owned

property development and land not owned by ST

• City created Equitable TOD Loan Program with

HUD Challenge Grant to acquire vacant property

near light rail.

• 2010 Othello Neighborhood Plan goal to activate

vacant parcels.

Policy – Othello TOD Othello Neighborhood Plan

• 2010 City neighborhood planning effort engaged over

2,000 residents (80% people of color)

• Mayor and ST Executive created a TOD Steering

Committee which prioritized Othello

• Planning Department helped ST with permitting activities

needed to ready site

• Office of Housing guaranteed acquisition funding

• Sound Transit accelerated the disposition process by 3

years

Relationship – Othello TOD

Othello Neighborhood Plan Public Process

• City funded acquisition, ST advanced schedule

• Both parties synced their schedules to make the

project feasible.

• Collaboration on RFP creation.

• Joint selection process.

• Coordination through the purchase and sale

discussions.

Mechanics – Othello TOD

• 108 workforce housing units (over half family-

sized) and 10,000 SF of commercial space.

• Implementation of the Neighborhood Plan

• Additional residents/ train riders

• A successfully permitted change to the adjacent

operations facility.

• A successful TOD ahead of ST’s initial timeline.

• Implementation of ST’s TOD Strategic Plan and

Policy.

Benefits – Othello TOD

Contacts

Sarah Lovell Sarah.lovell@soundtransit.org Ryan Curren Ryan.curren@seattle.gov