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Maybe First Hill is special, but parking in Seattle proper and Capitol Hill (both near First Hill) is extremely crowded and finding a spot can be hard. The myth

by awda 13y ago

Maybe First Hill is special, but parking in Seattle proper and Capitol Hill (both near First Hill) is extremely crowded and finding a spot can be hard. The mythical building plot described in the article sounds wonderful relative to my experience: "Overnight, when your tenants’ cars will most likely be at home, the office buildings’ garages are usually empty. And, of course, there are hundreds of curb spaces within six blocks of your building, though neighbors’ vehement territoriality about “their” spaces would make it impolitic to mention those in an appeal to the city for a parking waiver. Odds are that your tenants could secure whatever parking they wanted for much less than $250 a month per spot." The cheapest parking I could get on Cap Hill was $150/mo, and it was in one of these subterranean garages. Speaking of garages, any reason you can't build the garage on levels 1-2 and put apartments on 3-5?

seanmcdirmid 13y ago
> The cheapest parking I could get on Cap Hill was $150/mo, and it was in one of these subterranean garages. I always guffaw when I see American prices, which are so much lower than the rest of the world. The cheapest spot I could get near my apartment in Beijing is around $400/month, and its not available. Switzerland was even worse. But when I was at UW, it was only $50/month (back in the late 90s). Why is the USA so cheap?
- awda 13y ago
  Easy answer? Low population density, lots of space, relative to Europe (totally unfamiliar with Beijing). UW (U district) is a bit cheaper than capital hill (when I lived in U district, 1 parking spot came w/ rent, an additional spot was $50/mo).
  - seanmcdirmid 13y ago
    When I was living there, I never heard of free parking in the U district. You always paid for your slot in the garage even if you only had one car. Many apartment buildings lacked any parking at all. It is true that the US has lots of space, but the cost of driving (and parking) is still ridiculously low compared to other countries with similar characteristics (Canada/Australia)...and people still complain about it being too expensive (god, $4/gallon gas, outrage!).
natrius 13y ago
"Speaking of garages, any reason you can't build the garage on levels 1-2 and put apartments on 3-5?" Most cities regulate building heights, so then you're choosing between parking space and living space. Here in Austin, some downtown land is zoned for more height than the market demands at this point, so you do see parking podiums with residences or offices on top. It's the cheaper option when it's allowed, but it usually isn't.

by awda 13y ago

seanmcdirmid 13y ago

> The cheapest parking I could get on Cap Hill was $150/mo, and it was in one of these subterranean garages. I always guffaw when I see American prices, which are so much lower than the rest of the world. The cheapest spot I could get near my apartment in Beijing is around $400/month, and its not available. Switzerland was even worse. But when I was at UW, it was only $50/month (back in the late 90s). Why is the USA so cheap?

awda 13y ago
Easy answer? Low population density, lots of space, relative to Europe (totally unfamiliar with Beijing). UW (U district) is a bit cheaper than capital hill (when I lived in U district, 1 parking spot came w/ rent, an additional spot was $50/mo).
- seanmcdirmid 13y ago
  When I was living there, I never heard of free parking in the U district. You always paid for your slot in the garage even if you only had one car. Many apartment buildings lacked any parking at all. It is true that the US has lots of space, but the cost of driving (and parking) is still ridiculously low compared to other countries with similar characteristics (Canada/Australia)...and people still complain about it being too expensive (god, $4/gallon gas, outrage!).

natrius 13y ago

"Speaking of garages, any reason you can't build the garage on levels 1-2 and put apartments on 3-5?" Most cities regulate building heights, so then you're choosing between parking space and living space. Here in Austin, some downtown land is zoned for more height than the market demands at this point, so you do see parking podiums with residences or offices on top. It's the cheaper option when it's allowed, but it usually isn't.