Since January 2009, SDOT’s Community Parking Program has been engaging the First Hill neighborhood to study parking and develop ways to make it better. We’ve been going to neighborhood meetings, have hosted a walking tour and open house, and have hit the streets going door to door to chat with businesses.
Parking on First Hill is tight. Residential density paired with major institutions, employers, and visitors makes for quite the competition and a high demand on a scarce but sacred resource like on-street parking.
We’ve put together a draft plan that aims to balance these needs and improve access. It includes things like adding restricted parking zone (RPZ) blocks to support residential needs and adding paid parking to improve turnover and encourage better compliance to those time limits. We’re also considering adding a 4-hour time limit sign that would apply to vehicles with disabled parking placards (not the license plates, just the transferable and often abused hangtags) around some of the hospital areas.
If you live, work, or play in First Hill, we’d like to hear from you. Check out the project website to learn more and take a short survey. Give us a call or email and let us know what you think about the proposals. We’re taking feedback until the end of February and will be using your thoughts to help pull together a final plan in March.