On Monday, the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce voted to oppose adoption of Sound Transit 3, the $53.8 billion transit package that will appear on the general election ballot in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
The chamber announced the surprising news on Tuesday, stating that the pricey project left many questions unanswered.
Multiple Seattle business groups, including the Greater Seattle Business Association and the Downtown Seattle Association, have already expressed support for the proposal, which would continue the light rail work heading to the Eastside in the Sound Transit 2 project.
The chamber supported Sound Transit 2 and the $3.7 billion East Link project extending light rail across Interstate 90 into Bellevue and on into Redmond. It has previously supported other large transportation projects, such as the I-405 corridor program and the 2015 Keep Washington Moving Package.
According to a release from the group, “Solving our region’s transportation problems, with a focus on the movement of people goods and services on the Eastside, has long been a priority of the Bellevue Chamber.”
However, the group, following a recent debate between King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci and Bellevue City Councilmember Kevin Wallace, decided that it could not lend its support to ST3.
Sound Transit 3 would expand light rail further into Redmond and add a line from Kirkland to Issaquah as well as have several bus rapid transit lines running through Bellevue’s central transit hub.
Wallace had decried the significant tax bump for average King County residents, and said it would impact the Eastside significantly, raising the average Bellevue tax burden to Sound Transit to more than $1,700 per year through 2041.
Balducci has said that the value of the project to residents from all economic strata would far exceed the cost. It was not the first time the former colleagues on the Bellevue City Council went toe-to-toe on the issue.
Funding for the project would come from existing taxes as well as increased sales and car taxes. A new property tax would impact households as well.
In reaching its decision, the board considered data provided in the Sound Transit 3 System Plan and Appendices, as well as guiding principles the board adopted earlier. Principals that figured prominently in this year’s decision include:
• Improve the overall economic vitality of the Eastside;
• Maximizing overall traffic capacity within the City of Bellevue, with special emphasis on downtown mobility;
• Return on investment.
The Chamber believes that Bellevue has many pressing infrastructure needs, all of which are critical to the business climate.
“We must focus on mobility choices for the trip markets of the future, with an emphasis on Eastside to Eastside connections,” according to a press release from the Chamber. “The Chamber sees the value of additional light rail investments to high density destinations such as the emerging Spring District, Overlake and downtown Redmond, all of which can be accomplished in the short term. However, we have less confidence in the projected costs and benefits of those light rail projects scheduled for completion after 2030. We can’t wait until 2041 for flexible transit alternatives to serve medium and low density destinations. In the short run, the Chamber believes there is no need to rush to the ballot with this set of investments, at this price tag in 2016. Let’s tap the brakes, fix basic education and then come back for another try.”
