Sound Transit to use eminent domain to move Seattle stores
“Carson has been a salesman at Northgate’s SAS Shoes for about 15 years, he said. In the past couple, he’s seen construction crews digging holes and removing dirt near his office along 1st Ave NE, making way for a light rail station.
Soon, however, those crews will be where his office is.
Sound Transit, which operates Seattle’s light rail system, recently sent certified letters to 12 business owners in the 9500 block of 1st Ave. NE, informing them of plans to purchase the property through eminent domain. The agency needs the land to build large columns to support elevated trains that will eventually come through there, said Sound Transit spokesman Bruce Gray.
“It’s a tough situation, especially when you’ve got these small, independently-owned businesses,” Gray said, “but when you’re building out a system that’s going to carry millions of people a year, it’s inevitable there’s going to be impacts like this.”
The relocation will impact a dozen stores at Northgate Station, including a mom-and-pop teriyaki restaurant, a Jenny Craig weight loss center, and locally-owned music store Silver Platters, which has been in that location for 27 years. Moving will likely take place in early 2016, Gray said.
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Cohen, Lindsey. KOMO News 7 August 2014.