People are coming up with some serious and not so serious suggested names for the three light rail stations Sound Transit will build, two in Kent and one in Federal Way.
Sound Transit recently announced plans for two community meetings in November to discuss potential names for when the stations open in December 2024 with the 7.8-mile extension from SeaTac across Kent’s West Hill to Federal Way. Construction will start next year.
A story last month about those meetings received comments on the Kent Reporter website and Facebook page.
Here are some of the suggestions:
• Tim Eyman Station
• It’s About Time
• Kent
• Better Late Than Never
• Kent Link Station
• Taxation Without Representation
• West Hill Ain’t Real Kent Station
• Ripoff Station
• Crack Village
• Heroin Lane
• Midway
• Don’t Get Out Here Not Safe (Federal Way)
• Keep Going Nothing To See Here (Kent)
• Federal Way
• South 272nd Street
One reader suggested Sound Transit should consider selling naming rights.
Meeting schedule:
• Wednesday, Nov. 13, 6-8 p.m. at Highline College, 2400 S. 240th St., Building 8
• Wednesday, Nov. 20, 6-8 p.m. at Federal Way Performing Arts Center, 31510 Pete Von Reichbauer Way S.
Sound Transit plans a presentation at 6:30 p.m. at each meeting. Residents can stop by anytime from 6-8 p.m. to talk about station names, ask questions and learn more about the project.
No list of potential names has been released by the agency. The Sound Transit Board will eventually select the names.
Names are needed for the following passenger stations:
• Kent/Des Moines at 30th Avenue South and Pacific Highway South (500-space garage)
• Kent at South 272nd Street near Interstate 5 (1,100-space garage)
• Federal Way Transit Center (400-space garage)
Naming criteria
The agency’s criteria for station names, according to Sound Transit:
• Association with a nearby street or with surrounding neighborhood names or landmarks
• Be brief and easy to remember
• Be no more than 30 characters, per ADA requirements
• Avoid commercial references
• Avoid similar names of existing stations
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.