Bingo! Metro scores a property on its road out of Ridgecrest bus base

In a first milestone of moving out of the Ridgecrest bus base, Metro bought an old Les Schwab lot on Aurora.

By Oliver J. Moffat

Metro bought the property at 12215 Aurora Ave N, previously a Les Schwab Tire shop, for $2.9 million on May 6, 2025.

The vacant Les Schwab lot on Aurora that Metro recently purchased as a future site for its paratransit fleets. Photo by Oliver J. Moffat

King County Metro purchased the Les Schwab property to support the Access paratransit fleet and CAT (Community Access Transportation) vehicles. These programs provide transportation options to riders whose disability prevents them from riding the bus or train.

The move comes after disputes with the City of Shoreline regarding the current Metro Access bus base in the Ridgecrest neighborhood.

The City of Shoreline wants Metro out of its current Access base in the Ridgecrest neighborhood at the former site of Cascades Bingo hall. 

The Metro paratransit bus base in the Ridgecrest neighborhood at the former site of the Cascades Bingo hall. Photo by Oliver J. Moffat

Last year, the city council changed Shoreline’s zoning laws to forbid bus bases in the Ridgecrest neighborhood, the current location of Metro Transit’s Access bus base and maintenance garage.

The city said the Ridgecrest bus base was never legally permitted; vehicle storage has been forbidden at the site since 2008, four years before the base opened. Metro said they need the site to provide paratransit services in North King County and asked for six years to find another site.

In its 2025 budget, Metro allocated money to acquire a new location for the Shoreline Access site.

The Ridgecrest bus base property is 2.6 acres, while the Aurora property purchased by King County is 0.96 acres.

Metro must relocate its Access paratransit facility from the Shoreline property by June 30, 2027. 

In an emailed response to questions, a King County Metro spokesperson said, “The purchase of the Les Schwab property is the first milestone in that transition. We expect to move the Access uses and support needs to this property over the next several years. More work is needed in the coming years to relocate from Shoreline.”