Comments on: How much are parking spots in Seattle?

By: mhays

mhays — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:47:16 +0000

Is that savings worth $8,000 per year? That’s how much not having a car saves me, using an average figure for car expenses. Oops, add the $150 a month I get for renting out my parking space. So $9,800.

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 21:41:07 +0000

If you have no friends and families who live further away and you want to pay more for everything, then you don’t need a car.

By: Tomasyalba

Tomasyalba — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 23:24:58 +0000

Go, Flexcar! Justin, I’ve been a member for a couple years. A good value, extremely convenient, and they are pros to communicate with. Never a single problem with any bill I’ve received. The only occasional hassle is if I take a car from certain Flexcar street spots during nightlife rush hour, some clubgoer will park there and I need to find somewhere else to put it. But it doesn’t happen often, or with most parking spots.

By: mhays

mhays — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 23:13:36 +0000

Are you saying the CBD has it worse than Belltown? Probably true. But it’s not that bad.

But the CBD is an easy walk to the Market. Or, depending on where you area, the new boutique supermarket at 8th & Madison, Uwajimaya, or Yesler & Occidental. Smaller but still good stores at Harbor Steps, one under construction at 4th & University, several big drugstores…

By: Matthew

Matthew — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 21:03:33 +0000

downtown/belltown

By: mhays

mhays — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:59:34 +0000

The “dead zone” for groceries is probably the Market at night. Of course during the day the Market is nirvana for groceries.

Otherwise, you’re within semi-reasonable walking distance of Uwajimaya, 8th & Madison, Broadway & Pike, Whole Foods, or one of the stores on LQA. I can walk to four full-sized supermarkets from northern Belltown, plus the Market. Not that I really need to…

…Also you can shop at small grocers, which are sprinkled liberally everywhere. Some are corner stores, and others can basically fill in for supermarkets — Belltown has a few of the bigger ones, Pioneer Square has a big one, etc. As for smaller ones, I do most of my shopping in my own building, and two other good ones exist within a block and a half. In addition to all that, we also have lots of drugstores all over, often with sizeable food sections.

Yes we need more. A general-purpose store at the south end of Downtown would be nice, though possibly unwarranted right now. One in central or northern Belltown would be a great move and demand is probably adequate even without factoring neighborhood growth.

City residents should get used to the idea of shopping frequently and keeping each trip to one bag, or two light ones. With a steady diet of takeout this is easy for a single person, or a couple that shares the load.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:26:52 +0000

There isn’t even a decent grocery store downtown in Seattle. How am I going to lug all my food home from lower Queen Anne? This city has a ways to go before it is truly on par with most other major metros.

By: Justin Bowers

Justin Bowers — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:32:08 +0000

I believe that over the next couple of years, urban residents will get over the need to feel like they need to go skiing. Ever since I’ve moved closer to the city’s center, I’ve found that leaving the city becomes more and more of a hassle. With Seattle being as small as it is, you can walk from one end to the other in 30 minutes. Anyone have any positive or negative experiences with Flexcar options?

By: mhays

mhays — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:05:09 +0000

Developers are pretty good at predicting how many spaces their residents will need. Usually they’re pretty conservative, because if they get it wrong they won’t rent/sell their units!

Low parking ratios aren’t experimental at all, even in Seattle. It’s simple: look at existing buildings, and see how many parking spaces have been rented or get used. Developers are sick of paying millions for unnecessary parking, and residents ought to be sick of subsidizing it.

Many Downtown residents don’t have cars. Of course car ownership tracks income/wealth, exact location, age, etc. With expensive condos, yes, most people do have them. But the ratios drop quickly as you get into other demographics.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 02:31:25 +0000

You are forgetting one HUGE difference between Seattle and NYC. Public transportation. You can take the subway to any of the 5 burroughs. No such luck in Seattle. If you want to leave downtown, you have to jump in a car. When I lived in NYC I sold my car and had no problems getting to anywhere I wanted to go in NY. I wouldn’t even consider selling my car in Seattle.