Everett committee reviews downtown parking study; staff to run new occupancy counts before any paid‑parking decision

Everett’s Parks and Built Environment Committee heard an update on downtown parking on Dec. 10 as staff outlined findings from a 2019 utilization and financial study, recent stakeholder interviews and next steps for new occupancy counts.

Public Works presenter Corey said the 2019 analysis recommended paid on‑street parking but the city delayed action after the COVID lockdowns. "Fast forward 5 years and here we are and downtown seems to be heavily parked in the afternoon and evening again," Corey said, noting that downtown demand appears to have returned to pre‑COVID levels. He cited the city’s inventory of on‑street stalls, off‑street lots and the Everpark garage and framed paid parking as a tool to increase turnover and encourage use of off‑street facilities.

The presentation summarized key study findings and metrics: the city’s model treats supply as "constrained" at about 85% occupancy and aims for roughly 70–84% occupancy to keep spaces available. Corey reported observed noncompliance in 2019 of roughly 6–6.5% of vehicles moving to evade citations and about 5% of vehicles parking more than five hours, which together represented about 10% of unique vehicles in violation; he also said about 34% of stalls were impacted by overstays at some point during the day.

Corey told the committee Everett attracts many events — he estimated about 1,750,000 annual downtown attendees and said a planned outdoor events center could add roughly 100 events a year — and that event timing and scale complicate parking patterns. He described enforcement practice (most time limits apply 8 a.m.–6 p.m., enforcement presently ends for the day after dedicated parking staff leave, and Saturdays historically had no enforcement) and noted the 2019 recommendations included hiring a downtown parking manager and extending enforcement to Saturdays.

On paid parking mechanics, staff described options such as smart pay stations, single‑stall meters and smartphone payments; Corey said app capture rates vary (app use averages about 20% with Portland cited as an outlier at roughly 60%) and that pay stations assist riders who need lower‑barrier cash options. He cautioned that paid on‑street parking is not typically a large revenue generator but said any net revenue could be reinvested in downtown amenities.

Council members pressed staff on practical implications. Council Member Ben Zarlengo asked whether new multifamily developments were providing guest parking; Corey said most new buildings include resident parking and overflow garage space but the city does not require guest parking downtown and there are currently no residential parking permits downtown. Long range planning manager Lisonbee Wetzel told the committee that, under the updated comprehensive plan and current state legislation, downtown now lacks parking minimums for new development when the site is within a quarter‑mile of frequent transit service.

Council asked about ticket fees and revenue accounting; Corey gave preliminary figures — he said a disabled‑parking citation is $4.50 and a typical citation about $35 — and committed to follow up with exact citation amounts and where parking fine revenue is budgeted.

Next steps staff outlined included a targeted January occupancy count (to include a Silver Tips event), returning Rick Williams (who worked on the prior study) to reuse existing models, and carrying out larger utilization counts in April and May to validate whether downtown has returned to pre‑COVID occupancy levels. Corey said other cities’ Pay‑to‑Park rollouts took roughly two years from start to finish.

No formal action or vote was taken; the committee asked staff to collect the additional data and return with findings before advancing any paid‑parking proposal to full council.