Predecessors and planning

Kent's first staffed train station was opened in October 1889 as part of the Puget Sound Shore Railroad, a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific Railway.^[13] The town was originally called Titusville but renamed itself after the English county of Kent, reflecting a shared dependence on the hops industry, after receiving the train station.^[14] Days after Kent's depot was opened, two would-be robbers were injured by the station agent using an iron poker.^[15] The depot was replaced in 1893 by a larger brick building, which was renovated extensively in 1927 and served passenger trains until the 1950s.^[16] It was used by the Burlington Northern Railroad (later BNSF Railway) as a maintenance shed and still stands two blocks south of the Sounder platforms.^[17] The city government proposed re-using the depot as a railroad museum or a downtown transit center in the 1980s, but neither were pursued.^[18][19]

In the late 1980s, officials in King County proposed a modern commuter rail system running 22 miles (35 km) between King Street Station in Downtown Seattle and Auburn, including a single stop in Kent.^[20] The city government produced a shortlist of three sites for the commuter rail station: at James Street in downtown, near a Boeing facility 2 miles (3.2 km) north of downtown, or the disused Burlington Northern depot. Although the Burlington Northern depot was favored by the mayor,^[21] Metro Transit selected the downtown Kent site at James Street for inclusion in the 1993 regional transit plan, intended to serve as a framework for a future ballot measure.^[22][23][24] The city government began preparing for a major redevelopment of areas around the future station in hopes of revitalizing the downtown area.^[25][26]

Ahead of a scheduled ballot measure to fund a regional transit system, including the Seattle–Tacoma commuter rail line, Kent was selected as a stop for a demonstration commuter rail service in February 1995.^[27] The temporary station, located between Meeker and Smith streets in downtown Kent,^[28] was served by daily trains to Tacoma and Seattle during peak periods and event trains for baseball and basketball games.^[29][30] The March 1995 ballot measure was rejected by voters, but a modified plan was approved in November 1996, including funds for a commuter rail system managed by Sound Transit.^[31]

Sound Transit's environmental assessment for the Seattle–Tacoma commuter rail project identified two potential sites for the station in downtown Kent, approximately 900 feet (270 m) apart: a northern site between James and Smith streets, and a southern site between Gowe and Willis streets adjacent to the historic depot.^[32] The debate over the station's location took months to settle, with Sound Transit and the mayor favoring the northern site because of its proximity to two major arterial streets serving the city's suburban neighborhood and the Kent city council recommending the southern site to promote downtown commerce and avoid property acquisition.^[33] In June 1998, the Sound Transit board selected the northern site with a promise to design the station in a way that would minimize the amount of property to be acquired, replacing a surface parking lot with a parking garage that would be partially funded using $4 million in city-issued bonds.^[17][32]

The budget for Kent station was originally set at $12 million, but was increased to $25 million in July 1999 to accommodate the proposed 680-stall parking garage.^[34] The station and garage site was occupied by a feed mill and hardware store, which were relocated after settling a condemnation lawsuit with Sound Transit for $1.85 million the following month.^[35] Gary Merlino Construction was awarded a $3.66 million contract to construct the station,^[36] leaving the garage and bus station to be completed in later project phases.^[37] Groundbreaking on Kent station was celebrated on October 20, 1999.^[38]

Opening and expansion

Kent station was dedicated by Sound Transit and local officials on February 3, 2001, and service began two days later on February 5.^[39][40] 200 people rode trains from Kent on the opening day, which also marked the beginning of service from Puyallup station.^[40] The second phase of construction, including the $10 million parking garage,^[41] pedestrian bridge, and bus bays, began in 2000 and was completed three months ahead of schedule in March 2002.^[9][37] King County Metro opened a new transit center at Kent station's completed bus bays in June 2005, replacing a park and ride northwest of downtown on James Street.^[42] The city government opened the Kent Station shopping center and mixed-use development in late 2005, using $16 million to cleanup 20 acres (8.1 ha) of a former resin chemical plant adjacent to the commuter rail station.^[3][43]

The parking garage and surface lots at Kent station are used by 51 percent of the station's 1,900 daily riders and reach capacity early in the morning.^[44] The Sound Transit 2 plan, approved by voters in 2008, allocated $35 million for a second parking garage at Kent station, but planning was suspended in 2010 due to a decline in sales tax revenue. The project was revived in 2016 and expanded to also include pedestrian and bicycle improvements in the vicinity of the station.^[45] A shortlist of four sites for the 450-stall parking garage was drafted by Sound Transit and the city government in March 2017, including a proposal for Kaibara Park that was withdrawn after it was discovered that the property was owned by BNSF Railway and leased to the city.^[46] The remaining three sites were located to the north of the station along James Street at its railroad crossing.^[44]

A site on the south side of James Street and east of Railroad Avenue was chosen by Sound Transit in November 2017 as the preferred site for the garage, following a recommendation from the city government.^[47] The parking garage was originally scheduled to open in 2023, but was later postponed to 2027 due to longer planning times and funding issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[48] The project originally had a budget of $35 million, but increased to $65 million after corrections based on similar garage projects at other Sounder stations as well as rising costs for real estate and contractors.^[44] The increase in costs, which reached $100,000 per parking stall, was criticized by the local Sierra Club, but defended by officials in Kent as a preventive measure against "hide-and-ride" parking by commuters in local neighborhoods.^[49] The proposed garage's construction would also require the realignment of Railroad Avenue, which the city government claims would jeopardize the planned expansion of bus service to the station.^[50] Construction of the garage and a new bus layover facility is planned to begin in 2024.^[51]