Sound Transit does more than deliver transit. Our transit-oriented development (TOD) program supports vibrant, livable communities near transit by putting land acquired for construction and staging to use as opportunities for development.
We recently had the opportunity to celebrate the groundbreaking of the newest TOD project on Sound Transit surplus property. BRIDGE Housing’s project will bring 234 affordable homes to the Eastside near the Spring District Station on land that was used for construction of the Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF) East facility. Sound Transit and the City of Bellevue transferred the site to BRIDGE Housing in late 2024 at no cost. This property discount, totaling $16.25 million in assessed value, is foundational in supporting the project’s affordable housing outcomes.
Sound Transit and the City of Bellevue have worked together for many years on a creative plan to integrate the OMF East into the city’s plans for the rapidly developing BelRed corridor. This milestone is a key step in realizing the vision for a transit-oriented community on the Eastside.
With upcoming station openings in Marymoor Village and Downtown Redmond, as well as the 2 Line connection across Lake Washington, this project will bring affordable housing that connects people to opportunities throughout the region.
About BRIDGE Housing’s affordable housing project
Sound Transit worked closely with the City of Bellevue, King County, and A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) to develop a request for proposals for the site in 2019. Through that process, BRIDGE Housing was selected to develop 234 affordable homes across two buildings.
Their Spring District project will include 355 bedrooms across studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes. These homes will be affordable to households earning 60% AMI and below. Forty homes will be set aside for individuals with developmental disabilities, with supportive services provided by Open Doors for Multicultural Families.
Planned amenities include a community room with a kitchen, a fenced courtyard with a play structure, an elevated terrace, onsite property management and resident services offices, shared laundry rooms on each floor, a bicycle room, and garage parking. Resident services will be provided by Wellspring Family Services.
The project was awarded a predevelopment grant and low-cost financing from Amazon’s Housing Fund. Amazon announced that it is giving $100 million to support affordable housing efforts in Bellevue at the groundbreaking event. Public funds were awarded by the City of Bellevue, ARCH, King County DHCS, WA Housing Trust Fund and CHIP, and a tax-exempt bond allocation through Sound Transit’s partnership with the WA State Housing Finance Commission. This funding, along with the land contributed by Sound Transit and the City of Bellevue at no cost, supports the potential for affordable housing on the site.
“The groundbreaking of this beautiful new community embodies BRIDGE Housing’s commitment to tackling the affordable housing crisis head-on in areas of high need like Bellevue and throughout the West Coast,” said BRIDGE Housing President and CEO Ken Lombard. “We are grateful to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with dedicated partners at the city, county and state levels, along with business allies like Amazon, to help address this ongoing and urgent challenge.”
Scheduled for completion in late 2026, this project will bring affordable housing with convenient access to transit that will connect people to jobs, parks, schools, and more.
Work is ongoing to realize a range of market-rate outcomes on the remaining surplus property at OMF East.
Sound Transit’s role in creating transit-oriented development
Local and regional leaders that spoke at the groundbreaking event highlighted the partnerships, creativity, and collective work that is required to realize these types of projects.
“This site is a testament to creativity, flexibility, and commitment to a vision,” said King County Councilmember and Sound Transit Board Vice Chair Claudia Balducci. “Thanks to the commitment from all the partners, we were able to site a necessary piece of maintenance infrastructure while still following through on our vision of the Spring District as a vibrant transit-oriented neighborhood. I’m thrilled that this new affordable housing will bring people of all backgrounds and incomes together to enjoy both everything the Spring District has to offer and access to opportunity across our region through quick and convenient transit on light rail.”
Expanding transit requires Sound Transit to buy land to build stations, install track, and stage equipment and materials. When construction is finished, the agency often no longer needs some of this land. Sound Transit then partners with private and non-profit developers to build transit-oriented development projects on this surplus property.
The land that BRIDGE Housing’s project is being built on is part of a seven-acre site next to the OMF East facility that was envisioned for redevelopment during the facility planning and design process. Contributing this land at no cost supports BRIDGE’s ability to maximize the project’s affordable housing outcomes.
Sound Transit strives to be part of the housing solution by offering opportunities for development and affordable housing near our stations. Over 25 projects—ranging from townhouses to 300+ unit apartment buildings—have been completed, are being built, or are planned on Sound Transit’s surplus land.
Together, these projects bring thousands of units of much needed affordable housing with convenient access to transit throughout the Puget Sound.