Seattle adjusting avenue parking charges and contemplating excessive occasion charges round area

During the pandemic, parking on Seattle Street suddenly became very cheap.

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Salvio Varchetta lives downtown, where he pays 50 cents an hour instead of the five dollars he received before COVID-19.

“What I’m paying right now is good. At the moment the tariffs are really good. If they’re back to normal, it’s not good. It’s way too much, ”said Varchetta.

Starting June 1st, street parking fees will increase in several parts of the city, but only to a maximum of USD 2.50 per hour.

“We use the laws of supply and demand to find the right parking fee to ensure people can find one or two open spaces per block in busy areas,” said Ethan Bergerson of the Seattle Department of Transportation.

The Uptown neighborhood will soon get a lot busier when the Climate Pledge Arena opens and more than 10,000 people come to hockey games and concerts.

New bike lanes and transit upgrades will help fans get here and those in charge of the neighborhood have a message for those who still want to ride.

“We want them to get out of their home and go straight to a parking lot rather than walking around the neighborhoods looking for the unicorn parking lot everyone wants to find,” said Deborah Frausto of the Uptown Alliance.

To avoid this, the neighborhood organization wants parking fees for special events on the street, which are just as expensive as private parking spaces approved by the city before the arena opens.

“We think you have to create people’s habits from day one so that they have to get used to them,” said Frausto.

According to SDOT, officials are developing a proposal for uptown event rates to be presented to the city council in June, but initial opening rates have not yet been set.

Event prices in Uptown are among the park changes the city is considering for later this year.

Others include expanding residential parking zones and paying parking at the new light rail stations in the University District and Northgate.

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