New ferry plan includes return of passenger service

Published 7:09 am Tuesday, March 4, 2008

A new era in commuter relief for North Lake Washington residents opened Nov. 13 with the King County Ferry District’s adoption of a budget and levy that will eventually fund the operation of a passenger ferry route connecting Kenmore and Seattle.

“Creation of the King County Ferry District will allow North County residents to commute to Seattle on the open water of Lake Washington without the hassle of being stuck in traffic on SR 522,” said Ferry District Board member Bob Ferguson.

Congestion on SR 522 is a major reason why Ferguson supported adoption of a work plan for the Ferry District that funds a demonstration route to provide residents from Kenmore, Bothell, Woodinville and surrounding communities with an alternative to driving to Seattle, while promoting such ongoing development initiatives such as the Kenmore Downtown revitalization plan.

The implementation of the Ferry District marks the return of passenger vessels serving North Lake Washington. In 1867, the steamer Minnie Mae began serving Bothell and other Lake Washington communities from Union Bay. In the late 1880s, the 40-foot “Squak” ran daily from Seattle’s Madison Park on Lake Washington to service the lakeshore and was the first passenger vessel to operate on the Sammamish Slough.

Earlier this year, Ferguson co-sponsored an ordinance creating a ferry district to provide passenger-only ferry service throughout King County, including Kenmore, after the state decided to cease passenger ferry service.

“After the defeat of the recent transit package, we must find and implement creative and viable alternatives to driving cars on congested roadways such as SR 522,” Ferguson said in a press release. “I am excited by the opportunity to use responsive and reliable passenger ferry routes to link Northshore residents with Seattle.”

The exact timing of implementation and the connection points and landings are still to be determined.

At a Ferry District public hearing held on Nov. 8, 18 speakers testified in favor of a Ferry District funding plan as proposed by King County. The plan calls for a property tax levy of 5.5 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, or $22 per year for the owner of a $400,000 home.

Other future demonstration routes in the Ferry District plan will link Seattle with the local shoreline communities of Kirkland/Eastside, Shilshole/North Puget Sound, Renton/South Lake Washington, and Des Moines/South Puget Sound. The levy provides funding sufficient to turn successful demonstrations into permanent routes.

The Metropolitan King County Council created the King County Ferry District on April 30 to expand transportation options for county residents through provision of waterborne transit services. All nine members of the County Council sit as the Board of the King County Ferry District. Ferguson represents District 1 on the County Council, which includes Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell and parts of Woodinville.

The state Legislature in 2003 authorized counties to create local ferry districts whose funding was only possible through a property tax assessment. In 2006, the Legislature voted to end state funding for the Vashon Island passenger-only ferry service, currently operated by Washington State Ferries, on June 30, 2007. The Legislature agreed to extend service if King County would assume financial responsibility for the Vashon ferry by July 1, 2008, and assume full operation of the route in July 2009.

Read the Executive’s transmittal letter and his briefing paper for passenger-only ferry operations at the King County Ferry District Web site: www.kingcounty.gov/council/ferry_district.aspx