By Mark Edward Nero
The Port of Seattle is selling a 12-mile stretch of the Eastside Rail Corridor between Woodinville and Snohomish to Snohomish County for $3.5 million. The two sides’ governing bodies agreed to the sale earlier this week.
Under the county’s plans, freight operations are expected to continue on the former BNSF Railway line.
On March 8, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and Port of Seattle Commission President John Creighton applauded the newly formed agreement, which is expected to protect 42 miles of rail corridor.
“The Port of Seattle is pleased that we could bring the 42-mile long rail corridor under public ownership and preserve it for generations to come,” Seattle Port Commission President John Creighton said. “We are thankful that we were able to partner with local governments up and down the corridor in preserving a valuable resource for the benefit of everyone in the region.”
The county initially agreed to the transaction back in 2013, but put the purchase on hold in April 2015 due to concerns over the condition of the property, as well as right-of-way issues. The port estimates the line will require up to $10 million in maintenance and improvements over the next decade.
“We are very pleased that the Snohomish County Council and the Port of Seattle Commission have approved the acquisition of the eastside rail corridor,” Somers said. “We will keep this corridor under public ownership and are committed to preserving this rail with trail asset.”
Showing posts with label Eastside rail corridor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eastside rail corridor. Show all posts
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Port of Seattle Approves Rail Corridor Sale
The Port of Seattle Commission
has voted to approve the sale of portions of its Eastside Rail Corridor to King
County, Washington, and also grant the county a permanent easement over a portion
of the corridor that still has freight service.
The easement would allow
King County to move forward with plans to develop a recreational trail.
BNSF Railway first announced
its intention to divest of the 42-mile corridor in 2003. In 2007, the Port of Seattle
signed a memorandum of understanding with BNSF, setting the stage for the port’s
2009 acquisition of the corridor and the beginning of the federal rail-banking process.
King County has been a partner since 2007; in 2009 Sound Transit, Puget Sound Energy,
and the cities of Kirkland and Redmond joined the effort to preserve the corridor.
“Today’s vote is evidence
that persistence does, in fact, pay off,” port CEO Tay Yoshitani said. “Through
a difficult economic downturn we’ve been able to keep the project on the right track
– ensuring that the corridor stays intact and available for the region’s future.”
“Though the specifics have
changed several times, we’ve been steadfast in the goal: preserve the corridor and
place it into public ownership,” Commission President Gael Tarleton said after the
vote. “Many agencies joined us to make that goal a reality. We look forward to working
with our stakeholders around King County to make rails and trails work for all of
us.”
The transaction, which the
port commission approved Aug. 14, now goes to the King County Council for final
approval.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Port of Seattle to Sell Rail Segment
At a special meeting Feb. 28 in the city of Kirkland, the Port of Seattle Commission officially declared a 5.75-mile section of the Eastside Rail Corridor as surplus that is no longer needed for port district purposes, and unanimously voted to sell it to the city for $5 million.
The property is a portion of the Woodinville Subdivision rail corridor, which the port bought from Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad in December 2009.
The portion approved for sale starts in the city of Bellevue near the Kirkland/Bellevue border, and extends north of Totem Lake to 132nd Avenue NE, also known as Slater Avenue, in the Kirkland city limits.
During the Feb. 28 meeting, the commission approved a first reading of the resolution authorizing the sale; a vote on a second and final reading is expected to take place in a few weeks.
Kirkland’s City Council approved a purchase agreement with the port in December 2011. The city says it intends to remove the existing rails and redevelop the line for use as a bicycling and pedestrian trail as well as a light transportation corridor.
Port commissioner John Creighton, who grew up in east King County and went to high school near the tracks in Bellevue, said during the special meeting that he was strongly in favor of the sale.
“I think we’ve achieved a great result. It is preserved for the public,” he said of the rail segment. “I remain committed to having this corridor remain for dual use.”
The transaction is expected to close by mid-April, according to the port.
The property is a portion of the Woodinville Subdivision rail corridor, which the port bought from Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad in December 2009.
The portion approved for sale starts in the city of Bellevue near the Kirkland/Bellevue border, and extends north of Totem Lake to 132nd Avenue NE, also known as Slater Avenue, in the Kirkland city limits.
During the Feb. 28 meeting, the commission approved a first reading of the resolution authorizing the sale; a vote on a second and final reading is expected to take place in a few weeks.
Kirkland’s City Council approved a purchase agreement with the port in December 2011. The city says it intends to remove the existing rails and redevelop the line for use as a bicycling and pedestrian trail as well as a light transportation corridor.
Port commissioner John Creighton, who grew up in east King County and went to high school near the tracks in Bellevue, said during the special meeting that he was strongly in favor of the sale.
“I think we’ve achieved a great result. It is preserved for the public,” he said of the rail segment. “I remain committed to having this corridor remain for dual use.”
The transaction is expected to close by mid-April, according to the port.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Port of Seattle to Sell Rail Segment
At a special meeting Feb. 28 in the city of Kirkland, the Port of Seattle Commission officially declared a 5.75-mile section of the Eastside Rail Corridor as surplus that is no longer needed for port district purposes, and unanimously voted to sell it to the city for $5 million.
The property is a portion of the Woodinville Subdivision rail corridor, which the port bought from Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad in December 2009.
The portion approved for sale starts in the city of Bellevue near the Kirkland/Bellevue border, and extends north of Totem Lake to 132nd Avenue NE, also known as Slater Avenue, in the Kirkland city limits.
During the Feb. 28 meeting, the commission approved a first reading of the resolution authorizing the sale; a vote on a second and final reading is expected to take place in a few weeks.
Kirkland’s City Council approved a purchase agreement with the port in December 2011. The city says it intends to remove the existing rails and redevelop the line for use as a bicycling and pedestrian trail as well as a light transportation corridor.
Port commissioner John Creighton, who grew up in east King County and went to high school near the tracks in Bellevue, said during the special meeting that he was strongly in favor of the sale.
“I think we’ve achieved a great result. It is preserved for the public,” he said of the rail segment. “I remain committed to having this corridor remain for dual use.”
The transaction is expected to close by mid-April, according to the port.
The property is a portion of the Woodinville Subdivision rail corridor, which the port bought from Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad in December 2009.
The portion approved for sale starts in the city of Bellevue near the Kirkland/Bellevue border, and extends north of Totem Lake to 132nd Avenue NE, also known as Slater Avenue, in the Kirkland city limits.
During the Feb. 28 meeting, the commission approved a first reading of the resolution authorizing the sale; a vote on a second and final reading is expected to take place in a few weeks.
Kirkland’s City Council approved a purchase agreement with the port in December 2011. The city says it intends to remove the existing rails and redevelop the line for use as a bicycling and pedestrian trail as well as a light transportation corridor.
Port commissioner John Creighton, who grew up in east King County and went to high school near the tracks in Bellevue, said during the special meeting that he was strongly in favor of the sale.
“I think we’ve achieved a great result. It is preserved for the public,” he said of the rail segment. “I remain committed to having this corridor remain for dual use.”
The transaction is expected to close by mid-April, according to the port.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Suit Filed Against Seattle Port for Rail Corridor Purchase
Three King County taxpayers have filed suit against the Port of Seattle alleging that port officials overstepped their authority when they used tax dollars last year to purchase an abandoned rail corridor between Renton and Snohomish.
The lawsuit, filed by taxpayers John Allerton, Kenneth Gorohoff and Arthur Lane in King County Superior Court, asks the court to reverse the sale and return any tax money used to pay for it.
Allerton, Gorohoff and Lane claim that Washington state law prohibits port officials from purchasing rail lines outside their port districts unless the rail link is needed to connect the port to interstate tracks. The three allege that the Eastside rail corridor extends outside the King County port district and the port already has connections to the interstate rail system.
The port purchased the 42-mile-long rail corridor last year for roughly $100 million, primarily to keep developers from buying the land, but has yet to determine what to do with it. The port purchase was approved by the Federal Surface Transportation Board.
Port officials have looked at numerous planned uses for the corridor, with the most commonly cited being a plan to develop a pedestrian and bicycle trail along side the track, which would carry interurban commuter trains.
To date, the port has recovered all but $9 million of the purchase price, mainly from selling the rights to various portions of the corridor to local agencies.
The suit names the port, King County, Class I railroad BNSF, Redmond, and port rail operator GNP Rly, Inc as defendants.
The lawsuit, filed by taxpayers John Allerton, Kenneth Gorohoff and Arthur Lane in King County Superior Court, asks the court to reverse the sale and return any tax money used to pay for it.
Allerton, Gorohoff and Lane claim that Washington state law prohibits port officials from purchasing rail lines outside their port districts unless the rail link is needed to connect the port to interstate tracks. The three allege that the Eastside rail corridor extends outside the King County port district and the port already has connections to the interstate rail system.
The port purchased the 42-mile-long rail corridor last year for roughly $100 million, primarily to keep developers from buying the land, but has yet to determine what to do with it. The port purchase was approved by the Federal Surface Transportation Board.
Port officials have looked at numerous planned uses for the corridor, with the most commonly cited being a plan to develop a pedestrian and bicycle trail along side the track, which would carry interurban commuter trains.
To date, the port has recovered all but $9 million of the purchase price, mainly from selling the rights to various portions of the corridor to local agencies.
The suit names the port, King County, Class I railroad BNSF, Redmond, and port rail operator GNP Rly, Inc as defendants.
