Note: A previous version of this story has been corrected below. ADA parking spaces WILL be charged at the normal rate. and there is no early bird discount or associated rate.

The West Seattle Junction Association (WSJA), who manages the four parking lots in the Junction that have been free to shoppers since the 1950's, announced yesterday that the 296 spaces will become paid parking lots on January 15. The on street parking in the junction will remain free. Parking in the junction area became more restricted last year as Restricted Parking Zones were established in the surrounding blocks in March of 2019. 

The WSJA was forced to make the move to paid parking since taxes on the land, owned and controlled by their landlord the West Seattle Trusteed Associates were raised by King County. The County granted a three ramp reprieve but that time has now passed and the costs are too high for the merchants to cover. As it is, and as explained by WSJA Executive Direction Lora Radford, the monies collected for parking will only offset 20% of the taxes.

Because the announcement raised a lot of questions, the WSJA released a Parking Frequently Asked Questions list.

More questions remain to be answered but those are still being worked out.

Parking FAQ’s

What is the cost to park in the former ‘free’ parking lots? The Junction understands that transitioning from 100% merchant funded parking to paid parking is a big change, so we’ve set the rates far below market value.

0 – 2 HRS $2.00 flat rate

 

3 – 4 HRS $4.00 flat rate

 

5 – 10 HRS $10.00 flat rate

 

What about Early Bird Parking? 

There is no discount or deal for early bird parking.

Will there be parking for under an hour? 

No, Because the 0-2 HR rate is so low, there isn’t an option to pay for less than 2 HRS.

What about disabled parking? 

These slots will be charged normally 

What about short term parking?

There will be monthly parking which will be offered to the Junction businesses first for their staff.

How many spots are still free on street?  

There is a total of 720 parking spaces in the Junction which includes street parking but the number is reduced during COVID to allow pickup zones for restaurants. The lots comprise 296 spaces. The amount of time varies from a few minutes in loading zones, and the pickup zones up to 2 hours. 

What is the cost of a Diamond ticket?

$49

What happens if you don’t pay it?

Eventually the car gets towed for multiple tickets just like they do now.

Will this prevent development on the lots?

No

How much does Diamond Parking get?

That's private in the contract between WSJA and Diamond

Do the owners of the parking lots make money on these fees?

Yes

Is there any way we can protest this?

No

Won’t this negatively affect small business in the junction?

No​, quite the opposite. 

How do I pay? 

There are three ways to pay.

Mobile Payment via the CalltoPark app

Call in Payment via the CalltoPark app

On-site at the payment kiosks located in each parking lot.