Sound Transit's role in fostering regional growth goes beyond delivering a great ride. We’re supporting vibrant, livable communities around transit by creating opportunities for development and affordable housing near our stations.
When it came time to develop some of Sound Transit’s surplus property near our Capitol Hill light rail station in the 2010s, we worked alongside housing partners to understand what residents of this unique Seattle community needed to continue calling the changing neighborhood home.
Fast forward to October 2023, and the community’s vision had become reality in Pride Place. Located on Broadway between Pike and Pine, this development provides affordable housing for adults ages 55+ in the heart of Capitol Hill.
Check out this video to hear more about how this transit-oriented development project is creating space for LGBTQIA+ older adults and allies:
Developed and managed by Community Roots Housing, the colorful, eight-story Pride Place is located steps away from Link light rail and other transit options. It features 118 studio and one-bedroom apartments above an LGBTQIA+ focused community and health services center run by GenPride. The units are available to households within 30%, 50%, and 60% Area Median Income levels.
Find out more about living at Pride Place and learn how to apply here.
Our role in creating transit-oriented development
Transit-oriented development supports vibrant neighborhoods with direct access to transit. Sound Transit strives to be part of the housing solution by creating and supporting opportunities for TOD and affordable housing near our stations.
TOD projects utilizing Sound Transit’s surplus properties range from affordable to market-rate housing and include other neighborhood priorities such as early learning centers, restaurants, community spaces, healthcare services, playgrounds, and more.
After we complete transit expansion projects across the region, we often no longer need various pieces of land that were used for construction. Through our TOD program, we then offer these surplus properties – often at a discount – to non-profit affordable housing developers who can use them to create much-needed housing throughout the region.
The non-profit affordable housing partners utilize Sound Transit’s surplus property to create homes for people that are connected to jobs, services, and gathering places throughout the region via transit. Pride Place, as an example, sits on land that Sound Transit provided at a discount to Community Roots Housing in 2019 as part of a land swap in the Capitol Hill Station area with Seattle Central College.
Extensive community engagement throughout the planning process informs the vision for TOD projects, ensuring they meet the needs of each unique neighborhood. Community input guides what these projects look like, what type of housing units are built, and what kinds of businesses and services communities want near transit.
Learn more about Sound Transit’s TOD program here.
Want to help shape future transit-oriented development in Federal Way? Take our survey by June 17 to shape the vision for future development next to the Federal Way Downtown Station.