Bel-Red/130th Station update

University teams rise to the challenge for future Bel-Red / 130th Station site

NAIOP 2016 Real Estate Challenge Winning Proposal Announced

Three parcels north of the future Bel-Red / 130th Station were the focus of a competition for student teams from three universities this spring as part of the National Association of Industrial Parks (NAIOP) 2016 Real Estate Challenge. The challenge, sponsored by Sound Transit and the City of Bellevue, included teams from the University of Washington, Portland State University and University of British Columbia. As part of the competition, the teams were asked to propose a mixed-use development solution that incorporates 300 parking spaces for transit use and standard Sound Transit bicycle parking facilities.

The city-lead transit-oriented development (TOD) project for the site north of the Bel-Red / 130th Station is part of the updated and amended Memorandum of Understanding between Sound Transit and the city. What was originally planned as a surface park-and-ride facility will instead be a site for development that meets the city's vision of transitioning the Bel-Red area into a dense, urban, largely residential community with an active retail main street, a restored Goff Creek corridor and an arts district.

To learn more about the student proposals, including the winning University of Washington team, view the student presentations on the NAIOP blog.

For updates about the city's transit-oriented development project north of the Bel-Red / 130th Station, visit bellevue.wa.gov/light-rail.  

Bel-Red / 130th Station design and public art

Need a refresher on the completed Bel-Red / 130th Station design? We'll catch you up.

The Bel-Red / 130th Station platform will be located between 130th and 132nd Avenues NE in the Bel-Red area of Bellevue. This is an at-grade station with platforms on either side of the light rail tracks. If you're curious about what a similar at-grade station looks like, visit the Columbia City Station in the south Seattle area. Unlike the Columbia City Station, the Bel-Red / 130th Station includes a park-and-ride facility that will be incorporated into the city's TOD project discussed above. Bicycle parking will also be available. Streetscape enhancements along NE Spring Blvd and 136th Pl NE, including sidewalks, lighting and landscaping are also components of Sound Transit's project.

As part of STart, Sound Transit's public art program, Bel-Red / 130th Station artist Patrick Marold has designed an artist railing in the form of a hand-crafted stainless steel balustrade that will be integrated into the functional structure of the station itself. The 460-foot long railing will create platform shadows and a dynamic visual experience. For more information about the STart program, visit soundtransit.org/start.

Flash forward to 2023

By the time East Link opens in 2023, riders will be able to get from the Bel-Red / 130th Station area west to Pioneer Square Station in about 26 minutes and south to SeaTac / Airport Station in under an hour, including southbound transfer time where East Link connects to existing in-service light rail at the International District / Chinatown Station. See sample travel times table and system map below for more details.

Sample travel times from Bel-Red / 130th Station

The Bel-Red / 130th Station will open for service with the rest of the East Link light rail project in 2023. Construction in this area will begin in early 2017.