If you have something to say about the changes proposed in the city’s Restricted (formerly Residential) Parking Zone program, here are more details on the public hearing next Wednesday night (mentioned in this report yesterday) that will focus on how the City Council wants to amend the original proposal. It’ll be at City Hall downtown at 5:30 pm; read on for the official announcement, including details on the changes councilmembers want to make:

The Seattle City Council’s Transportation Committee will
hold a public hearing next week on Council’s proposed changes to the
Restricted Parking Zone program.

When: Wednesday, May 27th at 5:30 p.m.

Where: City Hall, 600 4th Avenue in City Council Chambers, 2nd floor

What: The committee will take public comment on their proposed
amendments to the Residential Parking Zone program. The Council’s
amendments would:

● Manage parking demand by limiting permit sales to 4 per household
with the exception for adult family homes, assisted living facilities,
domestic violence shelters, and permitted congregate residences

● Modify the business pilot to explicitly limit it to the seven
Central Link Light Rail Stations and not allow its expansion to other
RPZs; to establish a trigger point beyond which permits for
non-residents would cease to be issued in order to keep parking demand
from exceeding available on-street parking spaces in residential areas;
and to set a time frame for evaluating and deciding whether or not to
continue the pilot

● Change the threshold for establishing an RPZ to 35% non-resident
vehicles to favor parking for residents while still allowing for an
increase in visitor parking

● Not approve the Executive’s limit on major institution support
for RPZ permits costs for affected households; instead leave in place
determination of level of major institution support for RPZ permits to
negotiations as part of the master plan update process

● Modify the Executive’s proposal to include additional public
involvement approaches

● Add a requirement for a public hearing prior to decisions on RPZs
by the Seattle Department of Transportation Director; and clarify that
appeals process applies to establishing, modifying, or dissolving an
RPZ

● Not approve the Executive’s limit on major institution support
for RPZ permits costs for affected households; instead leave in place
determination of major institute support for RPZ permits to the
negotiation process as part of the master plan update process

● Create a new Resolution stating Council’s intent to have the
Seattle Department of Transportation report back to City Council on
January 1, 2011 on how the changes to the RPZ program have affected
neighborhoods and what additional tools are available to manage RPZ
permits