Kent Des Moines Station TOD

Project facts 

• Location: Kent Des Moines Station, Kent, WA 

• Site area: ±2 acres 

• Current use: Transit construction 

• Status: Partnering/RFP 

• Development partner(s):  

  • North site: Mercy Housing NW 

  • South site: None selected  

• Program: 

  • North site: 199 units of affordable housing sized for families with two- and three-bedroom units and storefront space for a community-serving spaces. 

  • South site: To be determined 

About this project 

Sound Transit and the City of Kent are partnering to develop the area around the Kent Des Moines Link light rail station. The under-construction station is part of the Federal Way Link Extension. The area the station is part of the City's Midway neighborhood development plans. The focus is to build affordable housing for people with various income levels and bringing in commercial and community-serving facilities. 

Sound Transit purchased four acres of land near the new station at State Route 99 and Kent Des Moines Road for equipment storage and mobile offices during light rail construction. When construction nears completion, the site will be available for transit-oriented development. This development will contribute to a vibrant neighborhood connected to transit with housing, retail, and community activities. 

Development updates 

In 2022, Sound Transit's Board of Directors authorized offering the site for development as mixed-use, mixed-income TOD with an affordable housing priority. In late 2022, Sound Transit, in coordination with the City of Kent, released two Requests for Proposals (RFP) – one for the North block and one for the South block – seeking development teams for TOD. Potential projects were eligible for pre-committed funding from King County, bond allocation from the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, and Amazon.  

Kent Des Moines North Site Updates 

• In June 2023, Sound Transit issued a Notice of Intent to Award to Mercy Housing Northwest in partnership with Open Doors for Multicultural Families, a Kent-based non-profit organization which provides services and programing for families of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  

• The proposed project consists of 199 units of affordable housing targeting households earning 30% to 80% of the area median income. More than half of the units are two- and three-bedroom units for families. The proposal includes storefront space for a community-serving childcare, non-profit office space, and a multicultural community center with neighborhood focused retail, including a potential small business incubator and café.  

• As staff negotiates a term sheet for the Kent Des Moines North project, Sound Transit will work with the development team and the City of Kent on changes to the initial concept. Sound Transit plans to seek Board approval of key business terms in late 2023. 
   

Kent Des Moines South Site Updates 

• Sound Transit amended the RFP in July 2023 to require market-rate housing and extended the RFP deadline. The Federal Way Link Extension Development Agreement between Sound Transit and the City of Kent includes a commitment that Sound Transit will partner with the City of Kent on the redevelopment of the North and South blocks at the Kent Des Moines Station to pursue a “mixed-income walkable urban center” on Sound Transit’s TOD property near the station. 

• Given that the proposed project for Kent Des Moines North included affordable but not market-rate housing, the RFPs on Kent Des Moines South were extended and amended to require market-rate units. 

• Sound Transit closed the Request for Proposals without selecting a development team in November 2023. Sound Transit did not receive proposals sufficiently meeting the RFP criteria. Agency staff will continue working with the City of Kent and the Sound Transit Board on next steps.