During his Feb. 16 state of the city address, Mayor Mike McGinn reaffirmed his commitment to putting light rail expansion on the ballot within two years. During his campaign, McGinn said one of his priorities for that expansion would be a line to Ballard.

Seattle's transportation system is not working the way it should, and it is imperative the city invest in more transit, McGinn said in his speech.

"The fact of the matter is – and we are seeing it right now – the era of big highways is over," he said.

Barry Hawley, owner of Hawley Realty in Ballard, said the expansion of the Link Light Rail system is a worthwhile discussion because Ballard needs to be tied into the future transportation circuitry of the city in some way.

"I think light rail would be helpful," he said. "I think that it would certainly be nice."

David Folweiler, one of the driving forces behind Ballard Corners Park, said light rail would benefit neighborhood, especially the thousands of Ballardites who commute downtown.

State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson said the west side of Seattle, except for downtown, has been ignored when it comes to light rail, and she salutes the mayor's efforts to rectify that.

"Bringing light rail to Ballard is a fairness issue, especially since we were promised better transportation in exchange for taking on greater density," she said.

Jennifer Heins, president of Sustainable Ballard, and Laura Cooper, vice president of the Ballard Historical Society, both said the personally believe light rail is a wise investment for the future because it would be more reliable than the current bus system.

While support for a Ballard light rail line seemed to be high before and after McGinn's election as mayor, a number of community members said the success of such a line would depend on its execution.

Beth Miller, executive director of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce, said 15th Avenue Northwest is the obvious choice for a light rail line, but it would not serve downtown Ballard well.

The same problem came up during discussions about a monorail line to Ballard years earlier, Miller said.

The downtown Ballard core is stretching out slowly every year, and it needs to be kept thriving, she said.

She said it would be wonderful for a light rail line to come up Leary Avenue and into downtown Ballard, but she doubts it will happen.

Folweiler said building a loop that runs along Market Street and 24th Avenue Northwest would increase the cost but also increase ridership.

A light rail line would help tie Ballard to downtown and West Seattle, but the neighborhood still needs improved east/west transit routes, Hawley said.

Miller said she would hope that adding a light rail line in Ballard would free up Metro buses to provide east/west connections.

The success of light rail in Ballard would be tied to how well it is connected to the eastern and western parts of the neighborhood, she said.

Hawley said the issue of parking around future Ballard light rail stations is important. The neighborhood does not yet have the density to support the light rail without available park-and-ride lots, he said.

State Rep. Reuven Carlyle said he is excited about light rail expansion, but the city will have to look at it with honesty about cost and value.

"I don't want us to lose sight of the day to day reality," he said.

King County is struggling to find funding for Metro in the current economy, and the government needs to shore up bus service first so people can keep getting to and from their jobs, he said.

Folweiler said he is not sure light rail expansion should be headed to the ballot at all. Funny things can happen to projects when they are put to a popular vote, he said.

"I wish Seattle's leaders would make decisions without always resorting to direct democracy," he said.

The Link Light Rail system extends south from downtown Seattle to Sea-Tac Airport. A light rail station is under construction on Capitol Hill and expansion to Bellevue is being planned.