City planning staff on Tuesday presented an existing-conditions parking study for Redmond's three urban centers, concluding the city has substantial off-street capacity but uneven curb use and operational management challenges as light rail opens.
Caroline Chapman, senior planner, told the council “the challenge isn’t about supply” and that the study found roughly 21,000 off-street spaces and about 1,400 on-street spaces across the urban centers. The report recommends demand-management steps so “the right spaces [serve] the right people at the right time.”
Key near-term operational ideas presented:
- Expand the city's 2-hour on-street time limits beyond Downtown into targeted streets in Overlake and Marymoor Village, accompanied by public outreach and signage.
- Add more monthly on-street permits in Downtown (currently a $50/month permit, sold out and unchanged since 2009); staff proposed increasing the fee to about $100/month and prioritizing permits for residents and employees without off-street options, while studying a low-income permit option.
- Pilot a shared-parking program that pairs property owners with excess private parking to users who need long-term or overnight parking; Move Redmond will help broker the program.
- Improve wayfinding and public information about available public garages and lots.
Staff emphasized most inventory is private, limiting the city's direct control; several private garages are approaching capacity and some private managers are beginning to charge or use variable pricing.
Council reaction focused on equity and implementation. Council President Kritzker asked staff to prepare a clear table of actions and the level of council involvement. Councilmember Fields urged sensitivity to employees who commute to work and rely on predictable parking. Councilmember Stewart requested the city consider selling permits to employers to allow cost sharing for employees. Councilmember Salahuddin raised questions about enforcement in the new Sound Transit garage and whether overnight parking there is monitored.
Next steps: Police must update its enforcement contract (Diamond Parking) before additional time limits can be implemented, and staff said the police department will present contract and price-change proposals to council in November. A broader parking-study session is tentatively scheduled for February to consider longer-term system changes (for example, on-street paid parking or a parking enterprise fund).