Check out our recap of a fun-filled event last week at the Mount Baker light rail station, bringing together our work on public space activation, transit access, and community safety
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On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 24, we teamed up with Sound Transit and ArtStation Mt Baker to transform the look and feel of the Mt. Baker Link light rail station plaza, bringing it to life with games, art, activity, and engagement.
We had two main goals for this event:
- Show different ways to activate the space and demonstrate in real time how it could change how you experience being there.
- Engage with people who use the space, meeting them where they were – whether waiting for the Route 7, 9, or 106 on Rainier Ave S, getting to or from the light rail, or visiting other nearby destinations. We wanted to hear what would make people feel more comfortable, safe, welcome, and joyful as they move around and wait for transit in the area.
The event came together as a collaboration between several SDOT teams focused on building community and mobility hubs and activating public spaces. It was also a close partnership with Sound Transit’s station activation and special events teams.
What we heard (and who we heard from)
People who engaged with the event and shared ideas included Franklin High School students, caregivers picking up kids from the nearby Hoa Mai Bilingual Vietnamese preschool, elders waiting for the bus, and community members just passing by.
Here’s what you told us you’d like to see:
- More places to sit
- Shelter and shade for rainy and sunny days
- Lighting
- Additional security
- Public restrooms
- Activities for kids like play structures and swings
- Cleaner spaces: more waste and recycling bins, and less litter
- Flowers and landscaping
- Games
- A place to fill up a water bottle and charge your phone
- And more!
Grateful to our partners!
To bring the space to life, ArtStation Mt Baker connected us with local artist Suzi Spooner (a Mt. Baker neighbor!), who created an interactive chalk mural that people could color in.
Suzi also crafted two beautiful smaller pieces featuring Vietnamese Hoa Mai flowers, a nod to the preschool next door. Speaking of the preschool, a big thank you to director Gloria Hodge for her art suggestion and for providing us with bathroom access during the event.
Local legend Detective Cookie and colleagues from the Seattle Police Department’s community outreach team brought chess boards. Franklin students joined in playing chess and many of the other games and activities.
Several Sound Transit colleagues also joined to support and engage with community. We heard from community members and gathered input for this work, while discussing other related projects nearby, like the Mt. Baker Pedestrian Boulevard and future RapidRide R Line. Friends from King County Metro came out, including their SaFE Ambassadors, who are regularly at nearby bus stops and riding along Rainier Ave S to support community safety.
Flora Tempel, Executive Director of the Mt. Baker Hub Alliance, also joined us. Among many efforts, the organization takes regular action on community cleanups, mural projects, and seasonal lighting upgrades at and around the station area to support community safety needs.
Last, but not least, we’re grateful to be partnering with ArtStation Mt Baker, an organization founded by local artists who share a deep commitment to enhancing their neighborhood by bringing arts, events, and education to Mt. Baker Transit Station. Artists at the attached artist lofts and the surrounding community are dedicated to building relationships to actively revitalize and heal the community through meaningful actions.
ArtStation Mt. Baker is dedicated to using art as a force for positive change! Check out their monthly art market vendor event series at the station (upcoming dates: October 18, November 15, and December 20).
What’s next
Looking ahead, the intent is to find ways to bring these ideas to life through early demonstration projects later this year and in 2026, as a start. We’re working closely with ArtStation Mt Baker to bring more art to the area through bus shelter murals, traffic signal box art, artful wayfinding, and more.
We’re also starting to engage with the Franklin school community to get students involved and center their voices and ideas. In addition to the light rail station plaza, we’re working with our agency partners to identify improvements to the Mt. Baker Transit Center. The common goal is to make these better, more dignified spaces for people as they connect to transit to meet their daily needs.
This work is made possible thanks to the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure, which helps make public transportation better, more reliable, and more accessible for everyone in our city.
Learn more about the many aspects of this work
Interested in activating a public space near you? While this event occurred on Sound Transit property, you can host a similar event on your block by applying for a Play Street/Block Party permit. These permits are free so long as your event is public and occurs on a residential street (has no yellow or white lines on it).
Read more about our newly developing Community and Mobility Hubs program, featured in the Seattle Transportation Plan and our Climate Change Response Framework, with funding support from the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure. The program aims to make it more comfortable, safe, welcoming, and joyful to get to, from, and wait at transit. Thanks for your interest!