17 Mar Pioneer Square business owners and residents fight back over parking rates

Ty Myers has been at the front of the parking debate for Pioneer Square ever since he and a few other business owners manned the front row at DSA’s parking forum a few months ago.

During a sit down with SDOT, OED, and City Council representatives, he also handed out a poster that named the salary of city council members, along with their numbers and emails.

Now, he has posted a sign above his store that is getting a lot of attention:

KOMO News picked up the story last night, starting it off with the statement that “The F-word is on full display in Seattle’s Pioneer Square, and the hiked parking rate is to blame.”

Although Myers is fighting back publicly, other residents and business owners have been flooding the Mayor’s office and City Council with phone calls and emails. Here is an excerpt from an email Neil Doherty, a resident artist, sent to all of City Council and the Mayor:

“Understand that you are all publicly elected for your jobs. That is to be representatives of Seattle’s communities. It is quite unfortunate that all of you are thinking in the best interest of making more revenue… truth of the matter is that when you all have pushed the majority of the businesses out, when you have reduced Pioneer Square to boarded up store fronts, pushed the residents out to other neighborhoods, is that all you’ll have left are your high rate parking areas with plenty of space to pull the limousine up and assess the irreparable damages to a once historic community.

I hope that all of you will come and park in these areas soon enough to experience what a great plan this really was.”

And another frustrated email from Derek Shankland, co-owner of Delicatus, just a few days after our community meeting:

“I wanted to contact you in regards to a meeting this past Tuesday regarding the parking rates in Pioneer Sq.  I am not attempting to sway your opinion on the matter, but I do want to comment on the behavior of your assistant.  I feel that if you are going to send someone to represent your office they should emulate your passion for public office.

This includes, most importantly, listening and genuinely addressing your constituents.  Your assistant sat through the entire meeting without taking one important piece of information down and then offered up the most indifferent answer I think I have ever heard. I feel this is unacceptable behavior by someone associated with a City of Seattle public office.  Furthermore I do not believe that you would feel comfortable with the message that it left some 30 local business owners.  You Do Not Care!  I understand how important it is to recognize and respect others.  I also remember.  I look forward to dialogue in the future and I thank you for your time.”

The rates are officially up to $3.50 in Pioneer Square and without intervention from City Council or the Mayor, the hours will soon increase to 8pm.

What will it take for our government officials to listen to this neighborhood and do something that shows us that we’re not just South Lake Union’s ugly little friend?

Phone calls? Check. Angry, disillusioned emails? Check. Posters with the F-bomb? We’ve got that too.

City Council + Mayor Contact Info:
Richard Conlin – 206 684-8805, richard.conlin@seattle.gov
Sally Bagshaw – 206 684-8801, sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov
Tim Burgess – 206 684-8806, tim.burgess@seattle.gov
Sally Clark – 206 684-8802, sally.clark@seattle.gov
Jean Godden – 206 684-8807, jean.godden@seattle.gov
Bruce Harrell – 206 684-8804, bruce.harrell@seattle.gov
Nick Licata – 206 684-8803, nick.licata@seattle.gov

Mayor McGinn – 206 684-4000, mike.mcginn@seattle.gov