(Editor's Note: The Fremont Chamber of Commerce sent this letter was sent to Grace Crunican, director, Seattle Department of Transportation and the City Council with a copy to this newspaper.)

On behalf of The Fremont Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit, business organization dedicated to enhancing the Fremont Community, I wanted to update you on the continuing discussions about the proposed paid parking plan for Fremont and highlight the frustrations we have faced in working with Seattle Department of Transportation and the City Council.

On a personal note, I have learned much through this process and unfortunately share the frustrations of my members with Seattle Department of Transportation and City Council at the moment.

Over 2,000 people signed petitions, sent letters and generally conveyed their disapproval and discontent with installing paid parking in Fremont. Although much of this feedback has been sent to both Seattle Department of Transportation and City Council, the response from both has been underwhelming, at best. We received canned answers from City Council directing us to Seattle Department of Transportation and while Seattle Department of Transportation staffers have met with in earnest, it is apparent that they have limited authority to effect the changes we want to see in the proposed plan.

Further heightening the frustration and, quite frankly the suspicion of the city's true objective in installing paid parking, is the condescending dialog that assumes the city knows this neighborhood better than the businesses and residents who live and work here daily; and the less than transparent responses that are completely contradicted from meeting to meeting. For example, Seattle Department of Transportation professes that the final decision on the installation of paid parking in Fremont has not been made yet it has ordered the kiosks and included the projected revenue in the proposed budget to City Council. Even City Council noted this glaring inconsistency in its recent budget hearings.

More troubling is that Seattle Department of Transportation has advertised the plan at $1.25 per hour at the same time they are presenting revenue estimates based on $2 per hour at City Council meetings.

Given the frustration and simple lack of trust in the statements coming from Seattle Department of Transportation and the Fremont Business Community's knowledge of the parking and business climate here, we remain steadfast in our opposition to the proposed paid parking.

1. Fremont already has over a hundred paid parking spaces that are under utilized. U-Park Systems operates 13 parking lots across Fremont, rates vary from under $1 per hour for certain monthly plans to as much as $5 per hour. An average customer visiting Fremont for 2 hours would pay $1.50 per hour or less. When I have encountered visitors to Fremont who say parking is a problem, which I have only heard from two people, I ask if they looked at using a pay lot they did not want to pay for parking, they just wanted easier to find free parking.

2. Adding paid parking to neighborhoods will not get people out of their cars. Until the city addresses the thousands of free parking spaces in malls and plazas throughout Seattle adding paid parking to Urban Villages will only hurt the local businesses in that locale, thus undermining the neighborhood and forcing small businesses out of Seattle due to lack of foot traffic. No study, to my knowledge, has been done to look at the effects of parking meters on the economics of a business community after parking meters have been installed. Studies that show turnover has increased do not take into account decreased customer traffic due to change in shopping patterns towards free parking malls.

3. Paid Parking is a tax on citizens without having to attain a vote of approval. The City of Seattle has limited means of taxing residents and businesses without voter approval. Adding paid parking throughout the city is an unspoken, revenue generating system that does not require voter approval. Also worth noting, revenues generated from paid parking do not benefit the neighborhood in which they are collected. Thus, any harm that is garnered from loss of business traffic is not seen in aid to that community, but is placed in the general fund for use on any number of citywide projects.

4. In a time of fiscal budget crunching capital monies can be better spent in neighborhoods that want the project being funded.

5. Limited increased signage can solve any perceived problems. The Fremont Chamber has long held the position that some increased signage will help with turn over while still providing employee parking for our important industrial businesses.

6. Finally, Seattle Department of Transportation has been opaque with both Fremont and City Council. At different meetings various answers have been given by Seattle Department of Transportation completely contradict statements made earlier. Basic requests have been routinely ignored: The Chamber has requested revenue stream documentation, specific capital costs, quantities for kiosk installation even specific installation estimates have all been ignored. Seattle Department of Transportation continues to have generic answers for most of the questions asked of them.

Even when City Council point blank asked in the Oct. 24 morning budget meeting about specifics on Fremont's parking revenues and capital costs Seattle Department of Transportation could not produce documentation and stated that pay stations had already been purchased for Fremont even though a final decision on whether or not to install pay stations had not been made - this was a lie. In earlier meetings The Fremont Chamber was told parking meters would be coming why does Seattle Department of Transportation continue to lie about this decision?

We ask that Fremont's voices be heard and that Fremont's Final Parking Plan have no paid parking stations.

Jessica Vets

Executive Director

Fremont Chamber of Commerce