The Seattle Department of Transportation is installing Residential Parking Zones in Fremont in an attempt to ease negative feelings toward the decision to install parking meters in the business district in February. The department feels the parking zones will ensure residents a place to park from possible spill over of those visiting Fremont.

However, the decision is unfavorable to a number of residents.

Upset resident and vice president of Fremont Dock Co. Michael Osterfeld shared his dismay with the decision to install Residential Parking Zones after he took time walking door to door to neighbors and residents in his area to see who was in favor of the zoning.

"We spent eight months in the process of defining where we needed parking zones, how we wanted it laid out and who was going to take on each task," Osterfeld said. "Seattle Transportation laid out to us the petition process. We went through the process, and I couldn't find but one neighbor on the east side of Fremont Avenue that wanted Residential Parking Zones."

To determine whether a Residential Zone should be installed within a neighborhood, Seattle Transportation provides petition forms and signatures must be gathered from at least 60 percent of households within the proposed boundaries.

However, at last week's Fremont Chamber of Commerce meeting, Mary Catherine Snyder, project manager for the Fremont On-Street Parking Plan Assessment said they were moving away from the petition process because it excludes people who speak English and people who have a difficult time walking block by block to talk to people in areas like Fremont where there are various apartment buildings.

Residential Parking Zones are planned to be installed on streets north and east of the Fremont business district and will be in affect during daytimes and evenings.

Snyder said they would be north of North 36th Street and signs would be on the east and south side of many but not all streets. Zones would create two hour parking without permits from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to midnight. Parking will not be allowed without a permit only on blocks that have signs.

"The Residential Parking Zone boundary which is between 2nd Avenue Northwest and Stone Way means if you're a resident and live within the zone you're eligible to purchase a permit," Snyder said. "The boundary area is larger so that more residents can participate."

Households within the parking zone boundary may purchase one permit per vehicle they own. Permits cost $45 per vehicle. One guest permit is also allowed per household and are an additional $15 with a permit or $45 without a permit. Parking zone permits are on a 2-year cycle said Snyder.

"During a climate of recession, a period of time where people are budgeting for their household, they are asking us to pay more to park in front of our own houses," Osterfeld said. "We already pay taxes for street, sidewalk and land, we now have to pay a use fee like we're a small business.

Pete Hanning, owner of Red Door, has many residents coming into his business and said the feedback he has gotten from them is that they don't want a Residential Parking Zone.

"What this blue line (parking zone boundary) says to me is Fremont Fair, Oktoberfest, Saturday outdoor movies, you're not welcome to Fremont," Hanning said. "We no longer are the community that says come here, have your events here, come to Fremont studios come to our businesses."

Snyder said they had attended both Fremont Chamber and Neighborhood Council meetings and as a group the neighborhood council was supportive of the zoning.

"I think Seattle Department of Transportation did an extraordinary job of reaching out to the community over an extended period of time working with the chamber and council to make sure all needs and interests of the community were identified and brought forward," said Eric Pihl, resident and Fremont Neighborhood council transportation chair and board member. "Not everybody always gets what they want or don't like changed, so you can never make everyone fully happy."

"We have a significant problem in the neighborhood with parking in the residential zone," Pihl said. "Coming up with a holistic solution for parking will create greater turnover and preservation for commercial and industrial needs and make sure there is no impact on the residential section with the installation of the Residential Parking Zone."

Seattle Transportation plans to move forward with the installation in mid-February. The paid parking installation of 15 to 20 parking stations will take a couple of weeks and the stations along with the Residential Parking Zones will go into affect by the end of February.

Seattle Transportation plans to have a six-month review of the Residential Parking Zones, parking meters and time limit signs and if there are issues in certain blocks they hope to hear from business owners and residents so they may reevaluate.

For more information on the Fremont On-Street Parking Plan Assessment or to see a map of the parking plan visit http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/parking/cp_fremont.htm.

Allison Espiritu may be reached 783-1244 or allisone@robinsonnews.com.