A photo survey of city parking garages over the busy Labor Day weekend indicates that the city staff estimate of a "parking deficit" is inaccurate. The city staff estimate parking need by using the formula that every 400 square feet of restaurant, retail, office or theater space requires one parking place. This formula is the rationale for building a 5-story garage at the site of the Farmers Market. But on the busiest weekend of the summer, People Power found plenty of space in the 3 multi-story garages.

The City has a blueprint for a greener alternative to building the $42 million garage. It is contained in the Master Transportation Study (MTS) that the City commissioned, but has not yet implemented. The MTS recommends "Parking Demand Management" measures that would shift permit parking to the big garages, thereby freeing up parking for customers. The MTS recommends "parking cash-out" for downtown employees who use alternative transportation to commute to work. That can take the form of cash, bus passes, and credit at bike stores. Since employee permit and all-day parking occupy 60% of city-operated parking spaces downtown, only a fraction of the downtown workforce would need to use alternative commute modes in order to free up the 484 spaces that a new garage would provide.

Candidates for City Council will be asked to take a stand on the garage at a forum on Wednesday, Sept 3 at Louden Nelson Center, 7pm. They will also be asked questions regarding the potential of the rail corridor, King St. bikeway, Bus Rapid Transit, and more.