Some cry foul as Seattle agrees to lower parking rate in International District
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SEATTLE -- There are good news and bad news for parking rates in Seattle.
After business slowed in the International District, the city agreed to reduce parking rates there to help shop owners. Now businesses in other neighborhoods want the same deal.
Workers at the Seattle Pinball Museum in the I.D. say high parking rates have been driving away customers.
"We charge $10 admission, and we had people tell us they paid as much to park. And they did, to enjoy our business," said Charlie Martin.
After Martin and other businesses complained to City Hall, city officials agreed to lower parking.
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn announced come March, he will lower the parking rate from $2.50 per hour to $1.50 per hour from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Other areas will offer free parking after 6 p.m.
But the good news for I.D. shops isn't sitting so well for some in other parts of the city.
"Not fair. Definitely not fair," said Seattle driver Nino Tursic, who pays $3 per hour to park in Capitol Hill.
And even in Ballard where the parking rate is $2 per hour, people are not happy. Cyrena Preszler, who owns Trove, says the rate is tough for her workers and customers to manage.
"It would be nice if it was less for my customers," she said, "because the parking situation for people who work around here isn't really the best."
After studying parking rates in the I.D., the city found business there dropped 30 percent.
For Martin, if it's between the city generating income and businesses possibly going under, it's a no-brainer every time.
"You can't have it both ways," she said.
For other neighborhoods like Belltown, the overall success of businesses could be keeping the parking rates higher.
The city plans to take another look at the lowered rates in the International District in about six months.
After business slowed in the International District, the city agreed to reduce parking rates there to help shop owners. Now businesses in other neighborhoods want the same deal.
Workers at the Seattle Pinball Museum in the I.D. say high parking rates have been driving away customers.
"We charge $10 admission, and we had people tell us they paid as much to park. And they did, to enjoy our business," said Charlie Martin.
After Martin and other businesses complained to City Hall, city officials agreed to lower parking.
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn announced come March, he will lower the parking rate from $2.50 per hour to $1.50 per hour from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Other areas will offer free parking after 6 p.m.
But the good news for I.D. shops isn't sitting so well for some in other parts of the city.
"Not fair. Definitely not fair," said Seattle driver Nino Tursic, who pays $3 per hour to park in Capitol Hill.
And even in Ballard where the parking rate is $2 per hour, people are not happy. Cyrena Preszler, who owns Trove, says the rate is tough for her workers and customers to manage.
"It would be nice if it was less for my customers," she said, "because the parking situation for people who work around here isn't really the best."
After studying parking rates in the I.D., the city found business there dropped 30 percent.
For Martin, if it's between the city generating income and businesses possibly going under, it's a no-brainer every time.
"You can't have it both ways," she said.
For other neighborhoods like Belltown, the overall success of businesses could be keeping the parking rates higher.
The city plans to take another look at the lowered rates in the International District in about six months.
@tigerljily we do, it's awesome
@nino_tursic11 when was that filmed!? My cars in it lol
@Elleee3 lol! Yesterday at like 4 or 5 ish? I think?
@nino_tursic11 ok. Not my car lol but same car same color and I thought it had BC plates!
@nino_tursic11 haha shush
@Elleee3 lol no canadians allowed in these parts..
If this city really want to help International District,they should remove some of the meters
and restricted parking signs,that way will help their business and earn more city taxes.
What is the incentive to shop in Seattle if you live outside the city? Toll roads, expensive parking and higher sales tax? Ease of traffic? The only reason I ever go anymore is the Seahawks.
@Gunnartheviking Â
Exactly. The city "social engineers" who have given us manufactured congestion and restricted parking have made the city urban core almost inaccessible for anyone who doesn't live in island Seattle. My last trek into Belltown, which I have done in months, resulted in 20 minutes of circling for parking, and that included the PAY LOTS, not just street parking.
There is no viable bus option from where I live. I have tried to park further out and get a cab, but unlike other large cities, finding a cab in Seattle is a bit of a challenge. I've been left standing for a long time in places just trying to get back.
Meanwhile, business shrinks, sales and meal tax collection is down, and traffic keeps going up.
Good job Seattle - good job.
Ten bucks for a "Pinball Museum?"
Does that include a roll of quarters to play?
once you loose the customer due to poor shopping/dining experience, it's so hard to get them back
@BuddyHolly Completely, they find somewhere else they like and its hard to get them back.  Doesn't it cost 10x more to get a new customer than to keep an existing one.  Seattle the damage may already be done what are you going to do now for the businesses.  Instead of raising revenue decrease spending.
Once they moved the parking time to 8:00, who the heck wants to go downtown to eat, drink or see a show? DUH!
Used to eat at ID few times a week.
Now I can't remember the last time I dined at ID since Seattle extended pay parking hours to past 6PM.Â
Heck, I stay away from areas that charge parking. Since gas price is high and food cost also risen too.
May I proffer a solution? Sell the parking spaces back to the merchants, then, let them set the hourly rate. If they set too high, their business's suffer,set  too low, there is not enough turnover and their business's suffer. Enforcement will be at their expense.Â
G. Mylon,
Solving this (stuff) so you don't have to.
This is news? What doesn't the government do that we can't cry foul on? I mean really....??
@Joy Johnson There are always whiners no matter what. The schools could be doing well enough to send every kid to college and people would be whining that some of those kids need to be dumb enough to be janitors.Â
This is why I dont live in seattle.Â
It's not the parking rates that's killing business in the ID - it's the rampant crack activity that keeps normal people away.Â
@UtterReality Â
It's both. Why pay $4 an hour to park in Belltown to walk down urine smelling streets and be accosted in the 2nd Bell/Blanchard area by drug dealers and scum.
@UtterReality As long as the ID keeps having amazing food i'll never leave.
@UtterReality ..combined with that really up-to-date business diversity that the area has probably never really had. Ditto for Pioneer Square.
Maybe Mayor McGoo is finally realizing that his war on cars is reducing all that tax revenue he's relying on to transform Seattle into a bicyclist hippie zone.Â
For all those so called college educated government officials:Â It didn't take a "STUDY" to realize you would eventually lose business through higher parking rates.Â
I'm also curious why city officials cannot figure out that by driving away customers, they are in fact losing tax dollars?  Want to increase those tax dollars, get rid of parking rates all together. Â
@snow surfer If a prospective Government employee displays any knowledge of  "unintended consequences," he or she is immediately put on the "do not hire" list.
The revenue through parking scheme was bunk to begin with. I get the turnover driven by parking rates being a good thing but when it costs less for a gallon of gas than it does to park for an hour... we'll every gas guzzler in town costs less to take you to Bellevue or one of our surrounding communities and back and you have less worry about staying for an 1:15. Sooner or later you drive your economy away unless there's a good reason to pay the premium to shop downtown... say safety?   ROFLMAO
@komonews When all Capitol Hill restaurants lower prices comparably to ID, let's talk.That said, McGinn parking scheme overall is disaster.
Hmm. Â I work in the I.D., and whenever I have to try and park there during business hours, I have a lot of problems finding street parking. Â Sounds to me like the parking isn't turning over fast enough.
@Travis Hartnett I've had a very similar experience. The only time I drive in is early early in the morning to grab spots in a lot because finding parking anywhere in downtown is a crapshoot. You'll never see empty street parking anywhere.
Damned if he does..... Damned if he doesn't.... just damn.... Anyways thanks for lowering the parking for those who still deal with it.....  I no longer visit Seattle.... Crime in Seattle and the economy limit my travels these days.... Sounds like desperation lowered the rates... humm... speaks volumes.