Sound Transit looking for land for light rail expansion

Some property owners in Tacoma are waiting for more information from Sound Transit after they received letters saying some of their land may be needed for future light rail expansion.

More than 140 property owners received letters saying portions of their property may be needed to extend the Tacoma Link from downtown into the Hilltop area, where it will run down Martin Luther King Jr. Way to South 19th Street.

But Sound Transit told the News Tribune, that at this point, it doesn’t seem any homeowners or businesses will need to be relocated.

Most of the light rail extension will be running in the street, so in many cases, the extra land will only be needed temporarily during construction.

Sound Transit sent the letters out to start negotiations.

In several cases, they just need permission from property owners to set foot on their property while the extension is being built.

The transit agency has set aside $3.2 million for property acquisition.

They hope to acquire the land and easements by 2019.

The Tacoma Link expansion from Downtown could be finished by 2022.