Everett Link Extention

The EIS will comply with all applicable environmental laws, regulations, and executive orders relevant to the proposed project, some of which have changed since scoping was conducted under SEPA. The Federal Transit Administration and Sound Transit propose to address the following topics within the EIS:

• Acquisitions, displacements, and relocations.
• Air quality.
• Economics.
• Ecosystems.
• Electromagnetic fields.
• Energy.
• Geology and soils.
• Hazardous materials.
• Historic, cultural, and archeological resources including Section 106 (National Historic Preservation Act) resources and process.
• Land use.
• Noise and vibration.
• Parks and recreational resources.
• Public services, safety, and security.
• Section 4(f) of U.S. Department of Transportation Act and Section 6(f) of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act.
• Social resources, community facilities, and neighborhoods.
• Transportation (traffic, freight, navigation, transit, non-motorized).
• Utilities.
• Visual and aesthetic resources.
• Water resources.

In evaluating these topics, the EIS will address direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of both the construction and the operation of the project and will propose measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate significant adverse effects where needed, to inform decision makers, the public, Tribes, and agencies about the project. Learn more about NEPA.

A project’s purpose and need statement explains why the project is being proposed and the needs the project will address. The purpose and need for the Everett Link Extension has been updated since SEPA scoping to reflect current federal regulations.

The purpose of the Everett Link Extension is to expand the Link light rail system from the Lynnwood City Center Link Station to the Everett Station area and provide an OMF in order to:

• Provide high quality, rapid, reliable, accessible, and efficient light rail transit service to communities in the Project corridor as defined through the local planning process and reflected in the ST3 Plan.
• Improve regional mobility by increasing connectivity and capacity in the Everett Link Extension corridor from the Lynnwood Transit Center to the Everett Station area to meet projected transit demand.
• Connect regional centers as described in adopted regional and local land use, transportation and economic development plans, and Sound Transit’s Regional Transit Long-Range Plan.
• Implement a system that is technically and financially feasible to build, operate, and maintain.
• Expand mobility for the corridor and region’s residents, including explicit consideration for those who use transit as a primary means of transportation.
• Encourage sustainable growth in station areas through support of transit-oriented development and multimodal integration in a manner that is consistent with local land use plans and policies.
• Encourage convenient and safe non-motorized access to stations, such as bicycle and pedestrian connections, consistent with Sound Transit’s System Access Policy.
• Preserve and promote a healthy environment and economy by minimizing adverse effects on the natural, built, and socioeconomic environments through sustainable practices.
• Provide an operations and maintenance facility with the capacity to receive, test, commission, store, maintain, and deploy vehicles to support the intended level of service for system-wide light rail system expansion.
• Develop an operations and maintenance facility that supports efficient and reliable light rail service and minimizes system operating costs.

The project is needed because:

• Chronic roadway congestion on Interstate 5 and State Route 99 – two primary highways connecting communities along the corridor – delays today’s travelers, including those using transit, and degrades the reliability of bus service traversing the corridor, particularly during commute hours.
• These chronic, degraded conditions are expected to continue to worsen as the region’s population and employment grow.
• Puget Sound Regional Council (the regional metropolitan planning organization) and local plans call for high-capacity transit in the corridor consistent with Puget Sound Regional Council’s VISION 2050 and Sound Transit’s Regional Transit Long-Range Plan.
• Snohomish County residents and communities, including those who use transit as a primary means of transportation, need long-term regional mobility and multimodal connectivity, as called for in the Washington State Growth Management Act.
• Increased residential and/or employment density at and around high-capacity stations and increased options for multimodal access are called for by regional and local plans.
• Prioritizing transportation investments that decrease vehicle miles traveled, and their resulting environmental effects, is a goal of the state and region, as established in Washington state law and embodied in PSRC’s VISION 2050 and Regional Transportation Plan.
• The current regional system lacks an operations and maintenance facility with sufficient capacity and suitable location to support the efficient and reliable long-term operations for system-wide light rail expansion, including the next phase of light rail expansion in Snohomish and King Counties.
• New light rail maintenance and storage capacity needs to be available with sufficient time to accept delivery of and commission new vehicles to meet fleet expansion needs and to store existing vehicles while new vehicles are tested and prepared.

Potentially affected property owners were notified by mail on July 21, 2026, prior to the release of the Draft EIS. Being a potentially affected property owner means that your property is close to one or more alternatives we are currently studying. This notification of potential impact does not mean a decision has been made to purchase your property. Note that this is based on current design and analysis. As the project moves forward and designs become clearer, the list of potentially affected properties may change.

Notification that your property is potentially affected does not mean a decision has been made to purchase your property. But it does mean there is a possibility Sound Transit may need to acquire all or a portion of your property at a later project phase. As we refine project design, we will continue updating our list of potentially affected properties. We will not make final determinations on which properties to purchase until after a decision has been made about the final locations of the stations, routes, and Operation and Maintenance Facility North and we move into the design phase.

Not necessarily. There are different types of acquisitions. Full acquisitions would require the entire property, however, partial acquisitions would not. There will be properties where we need a piece of a property, but it may not affect the existing use. Acquisitions can also be permanent or temporary. We will not know exactly how a property could be affected until we are further along in design and the final locations of the stations, routes, and Operation and Maintenance Facility North have been identified.

Residential relocation

For residential property owners and tenants, Sound Transit provides three primary types of relocation assistance: advisory assistance, moving expenses, and replacement housing payments. A qualified relocation specialist will work with displaced residents to determine needs, explain benefits, and provide referrals to current housing inventories as assistance and advice with filing claims.

Business relocation

Sound Transit provides three primary types of relocation assistance: advisory assistance, moving expenses, and business re-establishment expenses. The level of benefits and advisory services may be different for each displaced business depending on complexity of business operation.

The property acquisition process can begin after the final locations of the stations, routes, and Operation and Maintenance Facility North have been identified. The Sound Transit Board must authorize property purchases before acquisition can begin. Sound Transit goes through several steps leading up to this, including:

• Preparing property information to inform the Sound Transit Board’s authorization.
• Identifying the type of acquisition needed (i.e., full or partial acquisition, temporary or permanent easement).
• Providing official notice to property owners that their property is being considered for acquisition. That notice will let property owners know the Sound Transit Board meeting date when the property acquisition will be discussed. The meeting will include time for public comments on this topic.

After authorization by the Sound Transit Board, Sound Transit will begin the property acquisition process, which follows these steps:

1. An appraisal is conducted by an independent appraiser to determine the fair market value.
2. The appraisal is reviewed by a second appraiser for compliance with proper methodology and appropriative value conclusions.
3. Sound Transit prepares an offer package and delivers it to the property owner to review and negotiate. Property owners are also given a copy of the appraisal.
4. Sound Transit and the property owner negotiate the sale of the property.
5. Sound Transit may also reimburse for some or all the following:
   1. Owner's own appraisal.
   2. Legal review of offer.
   3. Accounting review for tax purposes.
6. For people and businesses displaced by the projects, a relocation agent will meet with the property owner to explain relocation assistance, eligibility, and entitlements.

What is the average timeframe from the offer to closure of sale?

While each acquisition is unique, most processes can take anywhere between 12-18 months to complete.

Does Sound Transit pay closing costs?

Sound Transit will pay for all normal sale expenses including escrow fees, title insurance, pre-payment penalties, mortgage release fee, recording fees and all typical costs related to conveying title. The sale will be exempt from real estate excise tax.

If my house does have to be acquired and I have to relocate, am I able to stay in the same school district or buy a similar home?

Sound Transit will make every effort to find comparable properties within the desired market.

Is there a geographical boundary limit for relocation?

No, there is no geographical limit on where you can move. Sound Transit will pay moving expenses within a 50-mile range.

If there is a long delay between acquisition and when construction starts, will there be empty houses in neighborhoods for several years?

While acquisitions are tied to the project schedule, it is possible that homes could be vacated prior to construction starting. If that occurs, Sound Transit will take appropriate measures to secure the properties until demolition can take place.