The specter of a potential shortage of parking spaces in downtown Burien and ways to curb the problem preoccupied city council members at their May 8 study session.

Although there still is adequate parking in the downtown area, several council members expressed concern that a parking shortage might result with the development of Town Square.

“There is, I believe, a fairly decent-size deficit in the number of parking stalls that [the city] is currently providing in our plans for [the new] city hall based on what [the developer’s] standards are,” Councilman Gordon Shaw declared.

Councilwoman Rose Clark added that she is concerned with the parking on Southwest 152nd Street as well.

“I can remember the days when we had so much space we were washed with cement, but now we have several successful businesses on 152nd Street and they are parking in the Gottschalks parking lot ... which soon is not going to be there.”

This needs to be factored in because the city wants those businesses that are currently busy to get even busier once the Town Square project is developed, Clark said.

Shaw noted that, at a recent city Planning Commission meeting, senior city planner David Johanson indicated Urban Partners -- the private developer of Town Square -- will provide 1.5 parking stalls per residential unit, and four stalls per 1,000 square feet of commercial space.

“We have 308 residential units in Town Square,” Shaw said. “That would be 462 parking stalls required for the residential part of Town Square,” with 588 parking stalls for the entire project.

“A logical assumption would be that [the new] city hall is going to need double the parking that they’ve got,” he continued. “That would put it up to 175 parking stalls. We’re only planning 120.”

All this boils down to “not enough parking,” Shaw stated.

Prior to the their discussion about parking, Dan Rosenfeld, principal of Urban Partners, the private developer of Town Square, said they are proposing up to 100 additional condominium units.

Shaw said later this translates into another 150 parking stalls that would be required for Town Square.

He also observed that businesses along Southwest 152nd Street primarily use on-street parking, which means the city “is going to be really tight on parking in a short period of time.”

Johanson said staff is considering shared parking downtown.

“Certainly where the retail businesses will have a certain amount of parking demand during the day, that’s when conceivably the residents won’t be there,” he noted.

“We’re going to try and do our best and look at all the different variables, but we have to understand that there is parking demand and there’s different peak periods,” Johanson added.

Councilwoman Sally Nelson agreed with Johanson that the city should be creative about parking.

But Clark said shared parking could still present a problem.

“We are expecting some library users to park at the Park and Ride, which I think is not a really good idea. I thought the Park and Ride was for people who wanted to park and get on the bus and go downtown, so I’m worried about saying, ‘Well, they can park there and walk across the street,’” she said.

Clark, with Shaw and Councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak expressing agreement, suggested a mini-bus system that would serve the city internally to help alleviate parking demand.

Krakowiak added that the city should look into alternative transportation and parking methods, such as the Flex Car program or a parking garage.

However, Nelson warned, “too much parking could kill a downtown.”

She proposed that some consideration be given to establishing maximum parking time limits.

“That may be true in some places, but I don't see that happening in Burien,” Shaw responded.

Regardless, he said, the city has started a pedestrian-friendly planning process in the downtown.

“But before we have pedestrians in Burien, they have to get out of their car. That means they’ve got to have a place to park it,” Shaw noted.