By Lindsay Peyton

Area residents gathered at West Seattle High School tonight to weigh in on the Sound Transit’s plan to extend light rail throughout the city.

The Sound Transit 3 Draft Plan, or ST3, would take an estimated 25 years to execute – and would build 58 miles of light rail, connecting urban centers from Everett to Tacoma and from Ballard and West Seattle to Redmond and Issaquah.

The vision, which also includes establishing rapid bus transit services, extending the Sounder South line and adding more bike lanes and pedestrian trails, is being firmed up prior to going to the ballot in November.

Sound Transit is seeking public input first, CEO Peter Rogoff said.

“We’re going to be putting together – through your input – a better plan in June,” he said. “The feedback you give us about this plan is very important.”

Discussions have been ongoing since 2012, and a long-range plan was established in 2014. The following year, Sound Transit received permission from state legislature for additional taxing authority to pay for this project.

Staff members are still determining the final details for the project. When complete, the city would boast 112 miles of light rail, 35 new stations and a ridership approaching 580,000.

Rogoff said that census data shows that Seattle will grow by about a million citizens by 2040.

“How do we add a million more people?” he asked. “You really have two options. You can plan and build for it – or you can be completely overwhelmed by it.”

Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick said public input meetings have already been conducted in Ballard and Tacoma.

“It’s an ambitious package,” he said. “And at $50 billion, it’s a significant investment.”

Patrick said that voters should weigh the costs against the challenges of a rising population.

“There’s a lot of growth coming,” he said. “We all know what congestion is like today – and it’s only going to get worse.”

Patrick said that the funding will partially come from sales tax increases, which would be an estimated 0.5 percent, or 50 cents per $100. Additional funding would also come from an 0.8 percent increase in motor vehicle excise, which would total $80 annually for a $10,000 vehicle. A property tax increase of 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, or about $100 annually for a $400,000 house.

Patrick added that Sound Transit would seek federal grants as well as revenue from bonds and additional fare boxes.

Mayor Ed Murray said he is committed to moving the project forward – and addressing financing for the project and its timeline.

“Those are the main issues for most people,” he said. “How do we build it fast enough – and how can we afford it?”

He said that the vote in support of the plan is critical.

“For West Seattle and the whole region, it’s an opportunity to finally catch up – and to right a wrong we made in 1969 when we voted down rail,” he said.

He added that if the project is voted down congestion in the city could be even worse.

“We have a pretty big vote in November, but it’s a vote that’s important to make,” he said. “Can we make a different decision? Can we get this right? That’s what we’re really facing in November.”

A few members of the crowd raised concerns about the estimate that it may take 17 years for the project to reach West Seattle.

“We’re the closest to downtown,” Tyna Ek, who lives in the Admiral area, said. “It should be here the soonest. I’m wondering why we have to wait 17 years and how they came up with the order.”

Rogoff said that the process could be expedited. “It can go quicker, and we’re determined to make it go quicker,” he said.

The draft plan is available online at http://soundtransit3.org. There is also a feedback survey on the site.