Home › Forums › West Seattle Rants & Raves › No Zoning? No owning!
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February 3, 2015 at 9:39 am #816674
Yo MamaParticipantIm sure you may have noticed how increasingly difficult it is becoming to find parking.
I came out to my car after a long day at work recently to find a note stating that the neighbors would appreciate it if I wouldn’t use that spot if I was an employee of a nearby business. They went on to say that they had spoken to the management of said business and that they would make sure their employees complied…….Really? Really!
So now not only do I have someone telling me I can’t park in an unzoned all day spot but if I do, they’ll call my boss and have me move. Amd my store is enforcing this. Really.
The next day I decided I wanted to KEEP my job so I “complied” like a good employee and found parking elsewhere but boy it was pretty slim pickins the next day too!
I squeezed my tiny car in as best as I could into a spot that had a very wide driveway entrance and admittedly I technically had a tiny bit of my front bumper not clearing the curb completely but it did NOT impede any vehicle of any size from being able to come or go as it wished. Well…. I got off work THAT day and there was not only a $47 parking infraction for “Blocking a Driveway” but TWO notes from the resident stating they are going to tow me…. One of the notes was under the ticket and the other one was crumpled into my side mirror and the mirror was shoved forward to close it in as if it had been hit.
I’m feeling really bummed that the neighbors I serve DAILY at the store I work for are being this way.
I have empathy for homeowners who feel their parking is being taken up by others who work in the area but the neighborhood is growing FAST and people better start getting used to it.
The neighbors VOTED IN the zoned parking where I’d normally park making it necessary to park where you live so I guess that didn’t work out so hot did it?
My hope is that people won’t be so quick to complain about things like this because most of the residents were SO excited about the new things going in and now its spinning out of control…..
Just wait until that LA fitness and the condos go in!
Good Times!
February 3, 2015 at 11:36 am #821443
JanSParticipantthat’s ridiculous. But many of us have claimed this would happen all along, when they decided to allow buildings that have no parking. What did they expect would happenMy advice? Park where it’s legal, neighbors be damned. And talk with your boss.He/she should be sticking up for their employees. While it may be inconvenient for those in the neighborhood, too, they don’t own the parking spot, and I doubt you could lose your job over it.
February 3, 2015 at 2:33 pm #821444
Jd seattleParticipantUnless you signed some sort of contract in regards to parking, your company cannot tell you where you can and cannot park on public property. Now, that doesn’t mean you won’t ruffle some feathers by doing so. I guess choose your battles wisely. Me personally, I would tell my company (in a friendly way of coarse) unless they are going to arrange parking within a reasonable distance, I will continue to park anywhere on public property it is legal to do so.
February 3, 2015 at 4:16 pm #821445
SueParticipantWhen I lived back east, the people near the train station would have a hissy fit that commuters were parking in front of their homes. When you live a block from a train station, how do you NOT expect that commuters will park there? Same thing with living near a business district. I live 2 blocks from the Junction. Some days it’s harder to find parking than others. But that’s the tradeoff for living close to certain amenities. I would never think to put a note on a car to tell them not to park in a legal parking spot.
February 3, 2015 at 4:42 pm #821446
maplesyrupParticipantYeah I think the home owner is overstepping their bounds and your manager needs a bit more spine. The manager’s probably trying not to alienate potential customers but unless they can provide parking they need to stand up for their employees.
February 3, 2015 at 5:32 pm #821447
jissyParticipantYo Mama — I rec’d the exact same note last week and thought, “Boy, aren’t you entitled and rude!” I was temp’ing, 1 day at an office in this area, looked for parking when I arrived but all around this office is marked 2 hours max and they split their morning and afternoon at 3-4 hours each. Across 2 busy arterial streets was open with no time limit so that’s where I parked. I came out to go to lunch to this note…. meanwhile, the person who left it had left 2 orange cones in the spot they vacated behind my vehicle. If I recall the note said something about please be courteous to the homeowners for loading and unloading who don’t have alley access. While I understand the frustration they might experience at times, I didn’t MAKE them buy this house in this neighborhood without an alley. And frankly I don’t believe their little statement that local office and store managers have agreed to not have their employees park there — I think it’s a guilt power play.
And after lunch? I parked there again. Yep, I did — the cones were still out and my spot was free. I saw the person who is doing it, move the cones for herself to park again and was concerned that I might come out to damage to my vehicle. I thought that I might contact parking enforcement this week to pay a little visit. SOOO un-neighborly and typically passive-agressive — if they need special accommodation, they need to do it with the city to get themselves a designated loading/unloading zone or disabled parking if that is appropriate to them personally — the process is in place for that to happen.
February 3, 2015 at 6:05 pm #821448
Yo MamaParticipantI am very pleasantly surprised to see such a huge positive show of support! Not because I doubted the good nature of the people of west Seattle but because my OWN neighborhood is going through growing pains (big time!) and the frustration in my neck of the woods is palpable. I thank you for understanding my viewpoint and I will repeat, for posterity, that I am empathetic, to a degree, with homeowners and feel their frustration but I also have to walk alone at night (sometimes with an armload of groceries) to my car and suffer fatigue from Cancer treatment so my need for closer parking options go beyond convenience. Thanks for your positive support! And yes, I think a LOT of spines need to be grown! Lol
February 3, 2015 at 6:12 pm #821449
Yo MamaParticipantJissy
My boss told me they actually DID say they were going to comply…. He said that “We just want to be good neighbors!”
BS
That type of kowtowing and never standing up for the employee is business as usual….. Very unfortunate.
February 3, 2015 at 6:13 pm #821450
Yo MamaParticipantIn a bigger city (or on the east coast) this situation would be the source of much ridicule and guffawing!
February 3, 2015 at 7:09 pm #821451
Ms. SparklesParticipantYo Mama- I’m sorry this happened, your boss can SAY anything they like, but JD Seattle and Jissy are right, you’re entitled to park on the street in an unrestricted zone all day long. The neighbors can complain & your boss can blow apologetic smoke up their backsides- but you’re within your rights. If homeowners need special access they can go through the process with the city to have the area in front of their home marked accordingly
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Unlike you, I do NOT have empathy for the homeowners; they either bought a house without off street parking or filled their parking area with other crap- both conscious decisions on their parts.
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Keep parking where you need (as long as it’s legal) & fight that whiny entitlement!!!
February 3, 2015 at 7:20 pm #821452
wakefloodParticipantThis is tangentially related and possibly on the solution end at that?
There’s some early discussion of a West Seattle circulator/shuttle that might help folks who would not want to drive or can’t get a direct bus route.
There’s a transportation related discussion on Thursday at 6:30pm with all the candidates running for District 1 City Council. It’s at the Highland Park Comm. Cntr.
If you have issues like this and others, come by and ask what your next rep is going to do about it?
February 3, 2015 at 8:27 pm #821453
jissyParticipantMs. Sparkles — yeah, she does have off-street parking, she had an empty driveway at her house but used her cones to block off “her” spot on the street.
February 3, 2015 at 8:27 pm #821454
datamuseParticipantThe part about this that I find kind of creepy is…how did they know where you work? Or are they hassling all the business owners in the district about where their employees park? Unreal.
Boss shouldn’t be making promises he can’t keep.
February 3, 2015 at 8:51 pm #821455
jissyParticipantdatamuse: I feel like it’s hassling ALL of them and realistically think that I would have gotten the note on my car if I just happened to park there to visit a friend/fellow neighbor/resident around the corner and not even been temp’ing.
February 3, 2015 at 9:32 pm #821456
BonnieParticipantYo Mama! You just keep on parking there. They can’t do anything to you. You pay your taxes just the same as they do. They do not own the parking lot in front of their house. If they don’t like it they should move. I’m assuming this is one of the businesses over by The Hole? Well, it’s just going to get worse for them so they need to accept it.
The other thing that comes to my mind is businesses should arrange for parking for their employees. Most likely this business tells their employees they cannot park in the company parking lot but then doesn’t supply a suitable place to park. That is just wrong.
February 3, 2015 at 11:54 pm #821457
FranciParticipantIs it really legal for a private citizen to put out orange cones to ‘reserve’ public parking space on the street? Like someone else said, if they have special needs – go through the process to get a special handicap parking designation.
February 4, 2015 at 12:37 am #821458
TracyMemberHOLY cow. If it’s a public street, you can legally park there, unless otherwise posted. The home owners can suck it. It’s not legal to put up cones. Wow. The entitlement is pretty amazing of some folks.
February 4, 2015 at 12:45 am #821459
TracyMemberFebruary 4, 2015 at 1:55 am #821460
wsn00bParticipant+1. It is a public street. Ignore the homeowners who are the ones being bad neighbors. Leave them a printout of the sdotblog page above.
Interestingly enough (to me at least), I don’t think SDOT and DPD really talk to each other. DPD has been approving high density lot splits that come with new driveways cut into the curb. If you follow the 5 foot rule, there is zero parking now where there used to be 2 spots in what are non-commercial residential neighborhoods (SF5000,etc). Parking is actually reducing on street for visitors and service vans/trucks.
February 4, 2015 at 4:47 am #821461
Yo MamaParticipantAgain! Blown away and thank you! I might have to print out what TT posted and leave it conspicuously lying around at work….. Love it!
Thank you again for conforming for me what I already knew all along and affirming my belief that people are inherently GOOD not bad😻💋👍
February 4, 2015 at 4:49 am #821462
Yo MamaParticipantFebruary 4, 2015 at 11:55 pm #821463
skeeterParticipantIf someone was leaving notes on my car and threatening towing, here is what I would do. I would post a little note in my window saying “This vehicle is parked legally. The street is owned by the city and parking is not reserved. If you have concerns please contact me at (insert vehicle owner phone number.)”
The reason I would leave this note is because I just feel the need to reach out to people who believe I am harming them. If the person did call me I would, in a very sincere voice, offer to help him/her clean out their garage. This offer would remind the complainer that the problem is theirs, not mine.
On a bigger picture, there are way too many cars in West Seattle and I cannot see any solution other than charging for overnight street parking. That is the only thing that will incentivize people to have fewer cars and/or use their garage and/or find a living place with off-street parking.
February 5, 2015 at 6:09 am #821464
seaopgalParticipantGuess I’ll be the voice crying in the wilderness … Just like no one has the right to expect a free all-day parking spot in front of their house, no one has the right to expect a free all-day parking spot near their place of work. “You took a job knowing full well there was no guaranteed parking … if you don’t like having to look for legal parking every day, why don’t you just get a different job?” See how ridiculous that sounds? Isn’t it just as ridiculous (and unhelpful) to think/say the same about residents?
We all are in the same boat with increasing development and limited parking. I say be just as good a neighbor as you expect others to be: don’t excuse away “minor” infractions (like impinging only a little on someone’s driveway), don’t park in the same spot every day, try to understand how your actions impact other people, and don’t expect residents to sympathize with your need for a parking spot if you don’t sympathize with theirs.
February 5, 2015 at 6:57 am #821465
Jd seattleParticipant“Just like no one has the right to expect a free all-day parking spot in front of their house, no one has the right to expect a free all-day parking spot near their place of work. “You took a job knowing full well there was no guaranteed parking … if you don’t like having to look for legal parking every day, why don’t you just get a different job?” See how ridiculous that sounds? Isn’t it just as ridiculous (and unhelpful) to think/say the same about residents”
The OP is not complaining about looking for legal parking. She found legal parking, and used it. The home owners seem to think they are entitled to it though. Your comparison doesn’t work unless th OP was leaving notes on the home owners cars asking them not to use it.
Partially blocking a driveway is a no no for sure though.
February 5, 2015 at 8:13 am #821466
Yo MamaParticipantI transferred to my job from a different location and actually there WAS free parking when I began working there in 2012 and it was for anyone to use and then It became 4 hr parking which the neighbors voted in pushing the volume out to the residential streets.
I never “expected” to park for free. I expected to be able to use public and legal street parking which is within my rights and not an unneighborly thing to do. Did you NOT read that I have Cancer related fatigue and have to walk at night after my 8 hour labor intensive shift (sometimes with heavy groceries) to my car alone? YES, it’s important for me to find parking as close as possible for health and safety reasons.
Next.
I will totally cede to the “only 4 inches of my bumper was in your 20 ft driveway” as being a legal issue…. But not the other passive attempt to harass me out of taking a legal and wide open spot. Or my job trying to enforce that.
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