Unlike other Seattle neighborhoods, such as Roosevelt and Wallingford, Green Lake does not have a Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ).
According to the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), RPZs “help neighborhoods deal with [parking congestion] impacts through signed time limits from which vehicles displaying a valid RPZ permit are exempt.”
In order to apply for an RPZ permit, a vehicle owner must have an address within the RPZ.
Cat Beagan, an east Green Lake resident, told us that last Thursday (Sept. 15, 2011) she drove up and down the streets surrounding her home for a full hour while looking for somewhere to park.
“I can’t even believe it,” she wrote in an email to us.
According to Mike Estey, Manager of Parking Operations and Traffic Permits for SDOT, there is not currently an active effort to create an RPZ in Green Lake.
In order to establish an RPZ, a “significant degree” of parking in the area must be by non-residents.
The Seattle Municipal Code specifies the threshold that must be met in order to establish an RPZ. Generally, 75% of on-street spaces must be occupied with at least 35% of those spaces used by non-local vehicles, all in an area of at least 10 contiguous blocks (or 20 blockfaces).
Additionally, a “parking generator” needs to be identified: an institution, a business district or a transit service causing a high amount of non-local vehicles to park in the residential area.
Seattle residents who feel their neighborhood qualifies for an RPZ must go through a series of steps, which can be found here. The process typically takes no longer than a year.
What do you think? Would you like to see an RPZ in Green Lake? Please leave your thoughts below.
