Sound Transit wants public input about the proposed designs for the Kent/Des Moines Link light rail station area and parking garage.
Sound Transit will extend the line 7.8 miles from Angle Lake Station in SeaTac at South 200th Street to the Federal Way Transit Center at South 317th Street. Construction will start later this year and is scheduled to be completed in late 2024, according to Sound Transit.
Passenger stations and parking garages will be built in Kent/Des Moines at 30th Avenue South and Pacific Highway South (500-space garage); at South 272nd Street near Interstate 5 in Kent (1,100-space garage); and at the Federal Way Transit Center (400-space garage).
Three new streets will be added at the Kent/Des Moines station to promote easy access for walking, bicycling and transit. Two large plaza areas will feature landscaping and public art.
In 2017, Sound Transit asked the public how they wanted the new Link light rail stations from Angle Lake to Federal Way to look and feel. Participants said they preferred designs that represent the community, are modern, and reflect Pacific Northwest character and the natural Puget Sound environment.
Sound Transit responded with a design that provides access to Highline College in Des Moines and surrounding neighborhoods and businesses. The station will have three landscaped streets to promote easy access by walking, bicycling and transit.
An additional plaza near the parking garage will include a covered seating area and space on the street for food trucks. The elevated station features a canopy with expressive steel framing and a glass clerestory that brings daylight into the center of the platform, provides good rain protection, and glows with warmth in the interior.
This station’s art theme is “Confluence; a weaving together of people, places and ideas.” The station experience is intended to celebrate the neighborhood’s energy and diversity and a blending of cultures and knowledge. Glass and sculpture artwork will showcase symbolism, patterns and family trees researched from the neighborhood.
Sound Transit proposes trees, plants and foliage that are drought resistant, provide seasonal interest and are low maintenance. Tree branches will be trimmed above head height, and shrubs will be trimmed to below knee height to provide good visibility through the foliage.
Curious about station-area designs for South 272nd Street or Federal Way Transit Center? Sound Transit will seek input on those stations in the coming months.
Take the survey
Click here for the survey to learn more about the proposed design of the Kent/Des Moines station, parking garage and surrounding area, and let Sound Transit know what you think. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Somali and Korean. The survey closes on Monday, March 16.
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An overview of the proposed design for the Kent/Des Moines light rail station. COURTESY GRAPHIC, Sound Transit
