Northgate

• An affordable, vibrant, and inclusive community where people of all incomes live close to where they work, play, and shop
• A community with increased mobility for pedestrians, transit riders and bicyclists served by the new transportation hub
• A mixed-use space offering better neighborhood and regional connectivity
• A leader in environmental sustainability by balancing urban growth and natural resource protection

The map below shows major investments that Metro Transit, the City of Seattle, and Sound Transit are making in the Northgate area.

The reconfigured transit center combines quality architecture and site design with new improvements for pedestrians and cyclists to promote walking, biking, and use of public transit. The new pedestrian bridge across I-5 and the cycle track on First Avenue NE—and potentially NE 100th Street—provide better connections to activity areas and a regional non-motorized network.

Metro intends to have an attractive east-west pedestrian walkway through the site from Thornton Place to the light rail station, which will encourage street level uses. Along NE 100th Street and Third Avenue NE, wider sidewalks, decorative lighting, street trees, and landscaping will also enhance the pedestrian environment. A public plaza will create an inviting place for people to gather and serve as an attractive entrance to the TOD.

Over the years, Metro has had several transit facilities in the Northgate area. In 1970, the first park-and-ride in our system was at Fifth Avenue NE and NE 112th Street, north of the current Target and Best Buy stores. In 1992, we opened the current transit center at Northgate. In 2002 we purchased land to the east and added parking for a total of more than 1,500 stalls in the area. In 2008, we consolidated our parking with long-term leases from Simon and Lorig and closed the park-and-ride at Fifth Avenue NE and NE 112th Street.

Today, more than 6,000 people board buses at Northgate Transit Center every day. This number is projected to grow to 15,000 by 2030. Bus routes that today serve downtown Seattle and the University District will be reoriented in 2021 to serve the Northgate Station/Transit Center instead.