TACOMA, Wash. — It has been one year since Sound Transit’s Hilltop Link Extension opened for service in Tacoma. The 2.4-mile extension doubled the distance of the T Line and added seven new stations connecting downtown Tacoma to the Hilltop neighborhood.
Three years ago, KING 5 spoke to the owner of Love by the Slice, a bakery in Hilltop. She told KING 5 that she was excited for the Link to bring new business to the area.
Fast forward to now, just more than a year after the extension opened, and she said she has not seen a significant increase in business from Link riders. Her business is just around the corner from the Hilltop Link stop.
“We feel like there might be somewhat of a disconnect there because I'm not sure if people getting on the link or off the link are aware that we're here,” said Cassandra Williams, the owner of Love by the Slice.
Williams grew up on Hilltop and bought her current storefront in 2019. She said she has always dreamed of owning a bakery in the neighborhood she grew up in. She said she is grateful to have the Link running in the neighborhood now but is still hoping to see more visits from riders.
“We know of a couple of people that do know about us, and before they get on the rail, they come over here, buy a couple cookies and then they jump back on the Link, right? So, we want to see more of that happen,” said Williams.
She said they are seeing more business from people moving into new apartments in the area that started being built during link construction, with more still in development.
“Now they're starting to lease these properties out, so we have more people walking in the community so that foot traffic is starting to pick up,” said Williams.
Other people who work in the area think it takes time for riders to start using public transit in new areas, but said people are utilizing the Link extension.
Sound Transit said it does not have exact passenger numbers for how many people have used the extension in the past year since it opened. But it did say that the T Line is seeing 70,000 monthly riders, which is more than double the number the line was seeing before the Hilltop extension opened.
“I know a lot of my tenants take it to and from downtown, so it's great,” said Jessica Johnston, a property manager on Hilltop.
Johnston said that with growth can come growing pains, like construction, and people are nervous they will get priced out of the area.
“That is probably the biggest, if I can be very honest, concern of people who have called Hilltop home for years, if not decades, is that they will get priced out residentially or, you know, commercially,” said Johnston. “We just need to make sure that we invite people in and still keep the respect levels of the previous generations that came before us.”
Both Johnston and Williams said they hope ridership will continue to increase and that more people can experience the neighborhood that is so close to their hearts.
“It's just being patient and then spending time figuring out how we can engage with the Link community to make sure that people are aware that we're here,” said Williams.
Sound Transit said to increase ridership, they plan to extend hours of operation on event days. It also said it expects ridership to increase once developments built along the T Line are complete.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber sent the following statement regarding the one-year anniversary of the Hilltop Link extension:
"The Chamber was proud to celebrate the opening of the extension a year ago and will continue to work and advocate on behalf of the business community to ensure transportation investments increase access and connectivity to opportunity throughout our community. We know transportation investments provide access to education, work, healthcare, and economic development. We also want to ensure that as investment and development occur we are strategic and thoughtful with our growth strategy so that we are consistent with our vision for Tacoma and that development doesn’t just happen to us but for us. Helping to support current businesses to grow and thrive, guarding against displacement, all while welcoming and encouraging new investment will help create a community where we can all thrive."