The selected project site will displace nearly 100 residents, a church, a school and several businesses in Federal Way.
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Sound Transit has selected the site for its South King County Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF), opting for a site in Federal Way that will displace residents and businesses.
The Board of Directors for Sound Transit selected the South 336th Street site in Federal Way as the future location of the 66-acre lot. It will operate 24 hours a day year-round.
“Due to land constraints, we had limited options before us for this new Operations and Maintenance Facility. I believe this is the most cost-effective decision we could make as good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said Sound Transit Board member and King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer in a statement.
The facility will be built between South 336th Street and South 341st Place, between Interstate 5 and state Route 99.
The incoming OMF South will displace a church, a school and two daycares, along with nearly 100 residents and 11 businesses, according to the project’s final Environmental Impact Statement.
The OMF South location is where 144 Link light rail trains will be stored, cleaned and maintained, and includes a track for 24-hour testing of new light rail vehicles, according to Sound Transit.
Sound Transit has one OMF on South Forest Street in Seattle. A second OMF is in Bellevue and the agency plans to add a fourth in an undetermined area north of Seattle.
“Siting the Operations and Maintenance Facility South marks another major milestone for Sound Transit as we advance the most ambitious transit expansion in the nation, bolstering service throughout Central Puget Sound,” said King County Executive and Sound Transit Board Chair Dow Constantine.
It will employ 600 people and the average employee salary at the OMF South will be approximately $85,000, according to Sound Transit.
With an estimated opening date of 2029, the Sound Transit website states the agency could delay its plans to a completion date of 2032.
The next phase is final design work and construction.
