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Belltown Parking Meter Installation Project 
October 21, 2003SDOT has finished installation of about 195 parking meters in Belltown along portions of Western and Elliott Avenues and the east-west streets between Battery and Bay Sts. For several years, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has been working closely with the Belltown Business Association to address needs for short-term parking for business customers. Both the Belltown Neighborhood Plan and Belltown Parking Committee recommended eliminating daytime unrestricted parking spaces to support more parking turnover. As part of this effort, SDOT installed 117 meters in 2002. The meters are intended to provide more daytime customer parking, prevent employees and commuters from parking all-day in those spaces, and fund essential City services. Map of existing regulations (PDF format) New meter locations (PDF format) Before making this decision, SDOT staff attended three community meetings to discuss this proposal: Belltown Business Association, Denny Hill Association, and Belltown Community Council. The Belltown Business Association unanimously supported the meter installation project as a way to help the neighborhood's retail businesses. Residents represented by the Denny Hill Association and Belltown Community Council expressed concerns over the loss of all-day, free parking for residents. Within these two groups, however, these concerns seemed to be balanced by the recognition of the transit and public safety benefits associated with consistent parking regulations and acknowledgement of the eventual elimination of free on-street parking spaces within downtown Seattle. SDOT staff have collected some parking information from off-street operators in the area. Click here to see a list of parking lots, monthly rates, and contact information. The Seattle-originated national car-sharing program, Flexcar, also has many vehicles in Belltown for those interested in selling their personal vehicles. For more information, contact Mary Catherine Snyder at (206) 684-8110 or marycatherine.snyder@seattle.gov. |
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