SEATTLE — At Thursday's Sound Transit Board Meeting, dozens of community members who live, work, and have interests in the Chinatown International District (CID) and South Lake Union, spoke against preferred alternative routes that would cut into important parts of their neighborhoods.
Betty Lau, a community member and long-time member of the CID community, says their opposition is about saving their culture.
"This is the third Chinatown. There's nowhere else for us to go," Lau said. "This is more or less our last stand at preserving history, culture."
She and dozens of other respected elders from the CID marched to Sound Transit's Board Meeting. Several spoke in favor of putting a light rail tunnel under 4th Avenue which is how they came up with the phrase "Move Forward with the 4th."
The other option for a light rail tunnel is under 5th Avenue. Lau says that would decimate the CID.
"Too many historic buildings would be destroyed," Lau said.
Fourth Avenue is on the CID's edge whereas 5th Avenue is in the heart of the CID. We reported on these concerns last Spring.
People at Thursday's board meeting from South Lake Union were there because they fear the preferred alternative route through Westlake Avenue will do irreparable damage to their neighborhood.
"That's the main thoroughfare of South Lake Union. It's the main traffic point, that's the central business district of the area and it's the connecting point," Reza Marashi with Kilroy Realty Corporation, said. "It would be severely damaged through construction... that's why we'd like the station to be located to Terry Avenue."
Rachelle Cunningham with Sound Transit says they're taking all the comments they received into consideration.
"I think what we've been doing is providing lots and lots of opportunities for community members to tell us what they think, engaged with them extensively, workshops, online meetings, in-person meetings and briefings, every opportunity to help people understand and hear what they want," she said. "Some of the suggestions that have been made to us have been incorporated in the plans."
A Final Environment Impact Statement must be studied before a final decision is made and that's only after the Final Environmental Impact Statement is published. A final decision isn't expected until next year, but a preferred alternative to be studied could be decided on next month.