Op-Ed: Land Value Capture Could Fund Ballard Light Rail

An opinion piece in The Urbanist proposes using tax-increment financing (TIF) to help fund Sound Transit’s stalled Ballard Light Rail extension, which faces a $7–9 billion funding gap. The author analyzes King County property data from 2018–2027 to show land values around existing light rail stations have appreciated significantly, and argues that capturing a portion of future value increases around a new Ballard station could generate up to $2.59 billion over 30 years toward the project.