The next phase of State Route 520 construction on the Seattle side of the bridge hit a bit of a roadblock this week, in the form of angry neighbors in Montlake. They're upset over a plan that could mean the end of the popular Montlake Boulevard Market.
The president of the Montlake Community Club says they learned just this week that WSDOT is in negotiations with the property owner to acquire the lot and possibly demolish both the market and the gas station that neighbors have come to depend on.
"Yes, we found out on Tuesday and it was quite a surprise for the Montlake neighborhood," said Bryan Haworth with the Montlake Community Club. "And after we got over the initial shock, we decided that we need to really organize and fight this. This isn't something we're going to let go easily."
A spokesperson for WSDOT said it's not yet a done deal, but that's not doing much to ease the worries of neighbors.
"It's callous, it's cynical, and it speaks to an indifference of people's needs that live in neighborhoods," said Kathy Laughman, another Montlake resident. "It's kind of shocking."
The market and gas station sit directly along the south edge of the SR 520/Montlake Boulevard interchange.
WSDOT first started getting questions about its plan to acquire the property during an open house the next phase of construction within the SR 520 corridor from I-5 to Lake Washington. That's the part of the project that WSDOT often refers to as "the rest of the west".
So why does WSDOT need to acquire the Montlake Boulevard Market property?
A spokesperson for WSDOT said they need the property to build retaining walls and for construction staging and traffic shifts. He said WSDOT determined that they'd have to close three of the four driveway accesses into the gas station and that the change in driveway access would affect the operations of both the market and the gas station.
WSDOT said it recognizes the market's important to many people in the Montlake area.
As for when WSDOT would acquire the property, it would likely happen in 2018.
"I know the problem could be solved in a way that was more humane if WDOT really set its mind to it," said Laughman.
KING 5 reached out to the property owner, but so far, our calls haven't been returned.
The owners of the Montlake Boulevard Market, who rent the property from the property owner released a statement that reads as follows:
The owners of Montlake Boulevard Market and Montlake 76 have no intentions of leaving. We intend on staying here to serve the community and surrounding areas."
The market owner also encouraged anyone with concerns to contact WSDOT.
