The Fremont Chamber of Commerce and businesses in the area are strongly protesting the city's attempt to implement parking meters and residential parking zones.

The city's push to enforce paid parking in Fremont is still strongly opposed by the Fremont Chamber of Commerce.

Reaction to the Seattle Department of Transportation's second draft to put into effect paid parking and residential parking zones remains a dud.

"The chamber has insistently said that we do not want paid parking in Fremont and we came to vote on this," said Marko Tubic, Fremont Chamber of Commerce president. "What's been frustrating for the board is that we constantly keep hearing that 'pay stations are not off the table, you're getting pay stations.' The signage or what not never really felt like an option."

Following the city's 2001 parking study that recommended a series of "parking management techniques" to address the lack of parking in downtown Fremont, both the neighborhood and the city adopted the Fremont Parking Plan with its aim to find solutions to create a better parking system.

Seattle Transportation formed a Fremont On-Street Parking Assessment plan that to Fremont's dismay included unwanted parking meters.

The plan includes a residential parking zone boundary, unrestricted areas, time limited spots, load zones, late night taxi zones, no parking zones, bus zones, evening time limit signs, and one, two and 10-hour limit pay stations.

"What we try to do with the parking program is to balance citywide transportation and sustainability with local parking meters," said Charlie Bookman of the Seattle Department of Transportation.

The department parking team had been revising Fremont's parking plan since January said Bookman at last week's Fremont Chamber of Commerce meeting.

The city brought back a revised second draft proposal that incorporated what they had heard in several public comment processes and what they learned through intensive consultations including several small group meetings with the chamber.

The second draft revision included increasing the boundary for residential parking zones, more available areas for residential parking only, changing two-hour paid parking hours to create more evening visitor parking, minimizing 10-hour paid parking for employees and minimizing one to two hour paid parking on streets where residents and customers only need a limited amount of time to park.

Even so, the chamber and residents at the presentation were still adamant about not wanting parking meters.

"One of the things we look at is the data," said Mike Estey manager of Traffic Control Programs for the department. "Where there are time limit signs, people are overstaying their limit and when we look at that it's kind of incumbent on us to then react and propose something that makes sense."

The department considers implementation of parking management changes when the use of on-street parking spaces reach 75 percent or higher, which now occurs on some blocks. There is higher user rates at lunchtime while other blocks have a 90 to 140 percent utilization rate, Rick Sheridan, transportation department spokesman, has previously told the Ballard News-Tribune.

However, given the current economic climate adding parking meters to Fremont also worried many business owners who felt that they would have to start competing with malls and shopping centers with free parking garages or meter-free parking.

The department's argument to Fremont's possible competition was the benefit meters would give customers in avoiding the hassle of parking tickets, given out more often due to their current system of free hourly parking signs.

Nevertheless, business owners and residents see tickets as more of a learning tool for those overstaying their parking time.

"You learn very quickly and as soon as you get that $38 ticket you either go to a parking lot or you drive around and find a spot to avoid your next $38 ticket real quick. It's a quick learning curve," said Peter Glick, owner of Roxy's Diner.

Also addressed was how much money would be allocated for the plan in the city's budget.

"Typically pay stations pay for themselves within three to five years, there is a capital investment in purchasing the units. They are roughly $9,000 each," said Estey.

Per unit, the data collection of the design and the installation would run roughly from $4,500 to $5,000. With the purchase and installation the city will have spent about $14,000 to $15,000 per unit.

"We started budgeting revenue projections for 2009 in spring of 2008," Estey said. "As we got closer to the Fremont process we had to make a decision on how many pay stations we had to order with current information we had at the time. We went ahead and ordered 30 to 35 units with the intent that we will use as many as we requested. If not we will use the rest in other parts of the city. The plan is not a done deal but we've had to make decisions that had to do with revenue and a final plan."

The Seattle Department of Transportation will be taking comments and suggestions for the second draft of the Fremont Parking Plan until Nov. 12. A final decision will be made later in November and any decisions for implementation of the plan is projected for the first quarter of 2009.

To find the second draft or for more information on the Fremont On-Street Parking Assessment Plan visit www.seattle.gov/transportation/parking/cp_fremont.htm, e-mail the department at communityparking@seattle.gov or call 206-684-8186.

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