(Image: SDOT)

City of Seattle residential parking protections in place across the most densely packed areas of Capitol Hill could come to a quieter part of the neighborhood if community feedback supports a new weekday only East Capitol Hill Restricted Parking Zone.

The Seattle Department of Transportation will collect feedback by email and a survey on the proposal through March 25th with a mailer about the proposal landing in mailboxes across the proposed RPZ area this week:

In response to requests from residents, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) completed a parking study in the East Capitol Hill area in Fall 2019. We appreciate that it has been some time since this data was collected, but it’s likely that parking demand remains high enough to qualify.

The city says a 2019 parking study showed that, on average, this area is about 85% full on weekdays, with 45% non-residents parking making it eligible for a new Restricted Parking Zone “if the neighborhood supports it.”

According to the 2019 study (PDF), while weekday usage totals qualified the blocks for a possible restricted zone, weekend usage was not heavy enough to qualify for Saturday and Sunday enforcement.

The proposed area for the new zone would extend from E Prospect to E Madison and between 19th and 23rd and includes the streets around a collection of 19th Ave E restaurants and shops — including new project Money Frog, coming soon —  and the Holy Names Academy. In February of 2019, the school reached an agreement with neighbors to end a battle over its plans for a 237-car underground parking garage below a new, two-story gymnasium. The city’s parking study was completed later that year.

Now after two years of pandemic delay and parking anarchy in the city, the RPZ is up for consideration.

If approved, neighbors around the area will join most of the rest of the Hill in needing RPZ stickers for on street parking. CHS reported here on the most recent previous addition to the Capitol Hill RPZ sticker collection as RPZ 32 rolled out in 2017.

A typical residential RPZ permit costs $65 and are good for “a 2-year cycle.” Guest permits cost $30. Here’s where you can look up RPZ information by address. The program has been reviewed and modified over the years and zones are sometimes added or extended. Large expansions are required to go through a public comment process. SDOT does not change rates to generate new revenue,” the announcement reads. A $10 “income-eligible” permit is also available.

The Capitol Hill East Proposal, SDOT says, would limit vehicles without an RPZ permit to 2-hour parking from 7 AM to 6 PM weekdays on the blocks signed for the new zone. “With limited off-street parking available in this area, RPZ signs would only be installed on one side of residential streets throughout the zone,” SDOT notes.

The new proposed zone also would not include an option for workers at businesses in the zone to purchase permits. “RPZ signs would not be installed adjacent to businesses, and existing time limits near businesses would remain,” SDOT said in its announcement.

SDOT will collect survey results and feedback through March 25th and says it will make a decision on presenting the final RPZ proposal or holding a public hearing on the zone by this spring or summer.

You can learn more at seattle.gov.

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