Home › Forums › West Seattle Rants & Raves › Huge Rant to parking patrol in junction lot outside Fresh Bistro
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October 1, 2009 at 11:25 pm #678654
WSBKeymasterBonnie – yes, Admiral Safeway had ticketers. We covered it a couple years back. I’ll go back and dig up the link, even had a photo. (Here it is – 2 1/2 years ago:
https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=1233 )
As for Junction parking – if you have been following our coverage of the Junction parking review (scroll down to the WSB Categories list in the sidebar and click Junction parking review for the full archive), you’ll know that the reason the city is NOT putting pay stations in – which was a rather shocking decision to many who expected it was a done deal – is that they did not find enough of the spaces taken enough of the time.
They are going to increase the # of 2-hour zones in some areas around the central business district. Also to clarify, the Junction (business) Association does not manage the lot next to Mural/Fresh Bistro/Rocksport etc. They are involved with the free lots behind the Senior Center/Garlic Jim’s/etc. area and behind the west side of Calif between Oregon and Edmunds – marked by banners. As for businesses working together – impossible to legislate … if you come down to this end of town you will see a couple of crabby custom-made signs on both sides of the Morgan Junction Starbucks/Subway/Abbondanza/Windermere building that declare something like ABSOLUTELY NO ZEEKS PIZZA/FEEDBACK LOUNGE PARKING HERE NO WAY NO HOW DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. OK, a little exaggeration, but not much.
October 1, 2009 at 11:45 pm #678655
CMPParticipantYou can always be sneaky and park in the lot by Rocksport and walk through their bar, then out the front and around the corner if you’re that hard up to find a parking spot. Whenever I try to park in that lot, it’s always full and I’m sure there aren’t that many people patronizing those businesses sometimes. Thanks for the warning though, now I’ll be sure to park on the street unless I’m going to Rocksport for dinner! Or I’ll just walk which would make more sense anyway since I’m close.
October 2, 2009 at 12:15 am #678656
QandAsMomMemberThe signs are NOT visible at night. However, the Fresh Bistro staff does inform you of the parking information if they are there when you walk in. Our friend walked in and just joined us at the table and did not know about it until the waiter mentioned it. She quickly went to move the car, but too late.
For me the issue was the stealthy nature of the parking lot attendants. It makes me feel that this usually welcoming, small town feeling community is really not that at all. It feels like the businesses are warring, which in this economy perhaps they are, but it is a guarantee that I will NEVER be a patron of those businesses with such aggressive parking attendants. It turns me off completely and it is not what I want to worry or think about when dining and shopping in my own neighborhood.
October 2, 2009 at 5:32 am #678657
KBearParticipantIt sounds like the parking lot attendants have been instructed to collect as many fines as possible, rather than just getting people to obey their rules.
October 2, 2009 at 6:18 am #678658
grrParticipantI agree Kbear and Q…I went back and looked at which business have that lot.. One use to get a LOT of my $. Not any more. Having the attendants give a warning for a few weeks would be a lot better for business. Even when downtown, if it’s a Diamond Lot..I simply refuse to park there.
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AND..whoever owns the Pacific Place underground lot…put them in the Den of Theives. Last xmas season, they were caught putting out their Valet Parking Only signs when there were PLENTY of ‘normal’ spots available. Seem to recall a new story about it. They had NO answer. Freakin’ theives.
October 2, 2009 at 2:09 pm #678659
QandAsMomMemberI have been thinking about this overnight and I would like to thank Bonnie for the warning. I think that is essentially what she came on here to do. It is just a big heads up to us all who used to used that lot for junction shopping of all sorts. Block that lot out of your head. It is no longer one to use, and for me, neither are the businesses associated with the lot. West Seattle, for me and pretty much everyone I spend time with, is not about that kind of aggressive behavior that would cause distress in so many people.
October 2, 2009 at 3:12 pm #678660
beachdrivegirlParticipantI dont get this. Why are people going to not go to the businesses tha pay for their patrons to have parking? mature.
October 2, 2009 at 3:28 pm #678661
TammiWSMemberSheesh. I dont get this either. There is plenty of parking in the area. I went in once and was told asap that if eating there parking wasnt allowed.
Has anyone thought that it’s not the businesses in the lot making this rule but perhaps the property owner of the lot itself? Why penalize the businesses?
The lots where FB and the other businesses are located are probably owned by different companies. If I owned the lot that I leased biz to I wouldnt want people who werent patronizing my leased businesses to park there. Just because it butts up to the lot doesnt mean Bistro can use the lot for parking….
Perhaps theres a back story to this?
October 2, 2009 at 3:36 pm #678662
CMPParticipantTammiWS is right…someone owns that lot and whichever businesses lease property from that landlord probably have parking rights written into their leases. It makes sense to enforce it otherwise people will take advantage of it. I’m not sure what businesses are on that sign, but I’m assuming Rock Sport is one of them, yet that won’t keep me from going there to eat. Besides, that lot has tiny spaces and I’d rather park on the street further away.
October 2, 2009 at 7:23 pm #678663
BonnieParticipantI drove by today on the way to Bartells (where I parked legally) and noticed the sign. Dark green. Hard to see.
But anyways…I noticed a land use sign up at that parking lot but didn’t slow down slow enough to read it. Looked like something is going to be built there? Parking lot no more?
October 2, 2009 at 7:24 pm #678664
BonnieParticipantOh, BDG, my argument is not that they pay for a lot for their patrons, it’s the way they go about ticketing those who accidentally park there.
October 2, 2009 at 8:22 pm #678665
beachdrivegirlParticipantThe businesses that pay for the parking lot attendant are not the ones ticketing the cars so i think my concern is why punish the local businesses???
October 2, 2009 at 8:24 pm #678666
bluebirdMemberI don’t understand why ticketing you AFTER they watch what business you enter, would be aggressive. What other way would someone suggest monitoring a parking lot that you pay the lease on? Watch each and every person for 10-20 minutes and keep track if they actually stay? Not monitor it at all and lose your own customers?
It is also our responsibility to find out if a lot is private, public, pay, or free. When did we start being able to assume everything is for our benefit?
And if you miss the lot and door signs, and continue on in, the very first question should be *can I park…* That would also incur an immediate turn around where you could catch and explain what happened, to the attendant.
This totally sucks and I’d be upset too. It would still be my own fault and a lesson learned. Boycotting a business that does provide parking for it’s customers is really stupid.
October 3, 2009 at 4:11 pm #678667
sam-cParticipantliving in Seattle (including Capitol Hill for 5 years) I’ve come to think of free parking ($$ and in terms of an available spot) as something you have to make an effort to find. If I’m looking for parking, the first thing I do is read any and all signs to see if it’s allowed.
I’ve never parked in that lot because I’ve never been to any of those businesses. but you shouldn’t hold it against them if they try to protect the limited number of spots they have for their patrons.
If you want seas of free parking lots around every business you’d ever want to go to, try Atlanta….
October 4, 2009 at 1:48 pm #678668
TDeParticipantThere used to be a good sized parking lot in that area, then last year a large building was built on that lot. Oh wait, that’s the building that houses Fresh Bistro. We’re way past paving paradise to put up parking lots. Now we pave over those parking lots to put in more tall buildings. I can hardly wait to see what the next inner city progress step will be in a few years.
October 4, 2009 at 3:18 pm #678669
TammiWSMemberFunny but the parking lot that WAS there (for Petco and Curious Kidstuff patrons) probably didnt allow any parking in their lot either if you were going to patronize Rocksport or get your nails done.
Hard-to-find parking is the main reason I never head over to Capitol Hill – the lack of parking there makes West Seattle seem like parking is endless over here.
October 4, 2009 at 3:54 pm #678670
JustSarahParticipantIf people are really hurting that much for parking, and reminiscing about when good restaurants used to be parking lots, maybe they should move to one of our lovely suburbs, like Lynnwood, or Federal Way. They both have plenty of parking surrounding their strip malls and chain restaurants!
October 4, 2009 at 4:27 pm #678671
TDeParticipantAnd if people really want more good restaurants in more tall buildings, perhaps they should move to downtown Seattle or better yet, downtown LA, Chicago or NY. That way they’ll have lots of great dining choices in the canyons of large buildings. They can also go to the tops of those buildings to find the sun.
October 4, 2009 at 4:43 pm #678672
MargLMemberYou’re forgetting the fact that this very lot, the Rocksport building and the Super Supplements building are actually on the block for tear down and redevelopment into several tall buildings with a parking garage underneath.
October 4, 2009 at 4:59 pm #678673
BonnieParticipantSo I talked to my friend and she called about the ticket the next day and the lady on the phone told her they’d take care of it and she didn’t have to pay for it. So if you get one, be sure to call the number on the ticket.
October 4, 2009 at 5:47 pm #678674
TDeParticipantNot forgetting… I’m actually very sad about the direction we’re going with development in West Seattle. I love this community, have lived here for many years and don’t like the urban density that’s being foisted on us, bringing more traffic, increasing numbers of tall buildings, shrinking single family neighborhoods and parking problems. It looks like we’ll resemble Capital Hill sooner rather than later. Once a tall building snugs up to my residence, even if it has an outstanding restaurant, no worries… I’ll move away.
October 4, 2009 at 6:14 pm #678675
beachdrivegirlParticipantR u still boycotting the businesses?
October 4, 2009 at 6:24 pm #678676
GinaParticipantHow much is it to park in the underground garage across the street at Jefferson Square?
October 4, 2009 at 6:39 pm #678677
TDeParticipantI’m an avid supporter of local small West Seattle businesses and do all the shopping I can at those establishments… even all my Christmas shopping. I don’t boycott locally owned and operated small businesses. Go Cougs… :)
October 4, 2009 at 7:11 pm #678678
JustSarahParticipantGina – $0. That’s why this whole thread is so silly; there really is *ample* free parking in West Seattle, even in the “crowded” Junction.
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