‘What a total waste of money!’ Curley blasts Sound Transit’s $240M Pinehurst Station

KIRO Newsradio host John Curley criticized Sound Transit’s new Pinehurst Station, arguing the project’s cost and uncertain prospects for nearby housing don’t justify another light rail stop in North Seattle.

“What a total waste of money!” Curley said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

The station near Northeast 130th Street is scheduled to open Wednesday, connecting surrounding neighborhoods to Link light rail. Voters approved the station through the 2016 Sound Transit 3 ballot measure, according to Sound Transit.

The project cost $240 million, according to The Urbanist. Curley questioned whether enough people would use it to justify that investment, The Urbanist reported.

Curley questions bus connections and housing plans

Curley took aim at a promotional video advertising the station and nearby service from King County Metro’s new Route 77. He questioned the value of taking a bus to Pinehurst when riders could already reach other light rail stations.

“So you can get on the bus and then go to the Sound Transit and then take the train,” Curley said.

Route 77 will provide direct access to Pinehurst Station, and the new stop is intended to shorten trips for neighborhood transit riders who currently travel to Northgate or Shoreline to catch a train.

Curley argued that the larger problem is what surrounds the station. In his view, the investment only makes sense if developers can build enough housing and businesses nearby to create a substantial base of riders.

He contended that limited available land, fragmented property ownership, neighborhood resistance to rezoning, and development costs stand in the way.

“The golf course is nearby. You’ve got I-5 there. You don’t have enough land, and even the land that you have, the developers are saying it doesn’t work out,” Curley said.

He also criticized former Seattle City Councilmember Debora Juarez’s push for the station, arguing that appeals to equity took precedence over practical questions about development and ridership.

“The numbers don’t work out, but it didn’t matter because you had people pushing it through because equity, equity, equity,” Curley said.

A dispute over future ridership

Sound Transit projects the station will eventually serve around 3,400 riders, but Curley questioned whether it would attract even 1,000.

He also rejected the argument that the station’s value should be measured over the next century.

“Do you think in 100 years from now people are going to be on a GD train? Is that the future? I’ve seen the future. It’s a train. Are you kidding me? That is crazy stuff,” Curley said.

He questioned whether rail would remain the preferred transportation option as driverless cars and other technologies develop.

‘But it’s five years early’

KIRO producer Joe Wallace offered a counterpoint as Curley continued criticizing the station’s planning.

“But it’s five years early,” Wallace said.

Curley wasn’t persuaded. He returned to his contention that the station was built before the surrounding zoning and development questions had been resolved, and that nearby Northgate already offered riders another option.

“Don’t forget Northgate’s right down the line. What a waste. Criminal, criminal,” Curley said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The John Curley Show” weekdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM.

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