Council approves higher parking rates

OLYMPIA – The Olympia City Council on Tuesday night approved a parking plan that would raise parking rates and eventually build the first city-owned parking garage.

But it put off making specific decisions on when to raise rates, such as the plan’s proposal to charge 75 cents an hour for parking in the now-free 90-minute zone. There would be a two-hour limit in the zone – meaning that parking for two hours would cost $1.50.

The new rate was intended to go into effect in October, Parking Services Manager Kip Dernovich said. But the council took no action on an implementation date, so nothing is final.

The rationale for charging in the free zone and raising rates is to avoid competing with a proposed public parking garage, which is proposed to cost $75 a month.

The parking discussion has been years in the making; discussion of a downtown parking garage goes back more than 30 years.

“I think this is something that we’ve really been looking forward to,” Councilwoman Karen Messmer said.

Besides charging in the free zone, the report made several other recommendations for rate increases:

 • In July 2010, raise hourly rates at existing parking meters. Three-hour meters would increase to 60 cents an hour from 50 cents; nine-hour meters would jump to 50 cents from 35 cents. Fifteen-minute meters would stay the same at 1, 5 or 50 cents.

 • Also in July 2010, raise monthly rates at parking lots. The Olympia-Franklin lot would jump to $50, Washington-Jefferson would go to $65 from $50 and a lot the city plans at Capitol Way and State Avenue would be $65.

 • Build a parking garage, at an unspecified place and time, for between $13 million and $21 million. The preferred site is the old Mills and Mills funeral home site at Fifth Avenue and Adams Street. Another possibility is a city property on State Avenue east of the Olympia Transit Center.

Council members generally liked the plan, though there was a difference of opinion on when to implement parts of it.

Councilman Craig Ottavelli said the 90-minute zone charge shouldn’t start until a parking garage was more definite. He also said he’s not sure that now is the time to issue debt to build the garage.

But Councilman Joe Hyer said it’s important for a fast implementation of charging in the 90-minute zone. “That’s the tool that lets you do structured (parking) now rather than later.”

Messmer agreed. “I think we need to move ahead on the charging for downtown parking,” she said.

Councilman Jeff Kingsbury said he’d like the city to strive to open the garage when the new City Hall opens, which is anticipated for early 2011.