3 ms·

The Hidden Reason Behind Seattle's Skyrocketing Housing Costs

• stephengillie 11y ago
  > But all evidence points to the fact that we build too much parking. Even in areas of the city where buildings aren't required to have off-street parking spaces, developers still construct them. And many of these parking spaces go unused—more than 30 percent in apartment buildings constructed after 2008 are empty at night, according to a 2013 report by the Sightline Institute. The really funny part about this is just how high the demand is for on-street parking. When I owned a car, I regularly found myself parking several blocks from my apartment. Usually my car was almost as far away as the Downtown bus stops. (Buses from there run as far as Tacoma, Everett, Bellevue and beyond, somewhat obviating the need for a car.) Further, there are at least 4 on-street parking systems - the Zone system applies on certain sides of certain streets and allows metered parking and free parking for neighborhood residents with a parking pass. Then there are 2 different seemingly-private pay-to-park systems. And there is a large amount of on-street area that is marked No Parking for various reasons including bus stops, infrequently-used driveways, loading zones, etc. I'm guessing quite a few people would be willing to pay $1 to $3 for access to these unused parking spots. Maybe we could have an Uber/Airbnb for parking spots? There ARE many public parking lots in the city, and while most are full during the day, many of them are almost completely empty at night. Overnight charges vary greatly for a number of reasons, and people logically try to avoid them after 6pm (or was it recently modified to 8pm?), when on-street parking is free.