By Joe Veyera
The Seattle Department of Transporation (SDOT) has finalized its proposed rate changes for the fall, with all three paid parking areas in Ballard set to adjust in the coming weeks.
The changes are mostly in line with the ones reported by My Ballard in late June, with slight modifications.
In the Ballard Core, which is defined as Northwest Market Street between 20th and 24th Avenues Northwest, and 22nd Avenue Northwest between Ballard Avenue Northwest and Northwest 56th Street, the rate will remain at $2 per hour. However, paid parking hours will be extended until 8 p.m. (previously 6 p.m.) after the occupancy rate at 7 p.m. was found to be at 109 percent, well above the target rate of 70 to 85 percent.
In the Ballard periphery, which is all non-Core paid parking blockfaces in the neighborhood, where parking has been $1.50 an hour between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., with a four-hour maximum, the hours and time limit will remain the same, but the rate will be reduced to $1 an hour, after the daytime occupancy rate was measured at 58 percent, below the target range. In the original announcement of planned rate adjustments in June, rates had been slated to extend to 8 p.m.
In the Ballard Locks parking area, consisting of the parking lots south of Northwest 54th Street adjacent to the Locks, where parking is currently $1.50 per hour, rates will change according to season because of the fluctuating number of visitors. Between May and September, parking will be raised to $2 per hour, with the rate dropping to $1 per hour between October and April.
For more information on the parking rate changes in Ballard, and around the city, visit SDOT’s paid parking information site here.
(Information pages courtesy of the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Annual Paid Parking Occupancy Report)
![](https://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024-My-Ballard-Tile-Ad-Troop-100.png")
How does a 109% occupancy rate work?
I may start going to ballard again for dinner. Parking was to difficult before this change.
@ bmvaughn 109% rate indicates the number of cars parked illegally (fire hydrants, cross walks, within 30ft of a stop sign, double-parked).
That’s too bad. I never parked there to go out to dinner, it was for after-work meetings. But we’ll just have to walk further, and park in front of people’s houses now. Oh well!
You can have my parking spot. I go to downtown Ballard a lot less than I used to now. Parking is to difficult and expensive, my bus that goes there was cut by Metro, car break ins and other crime… it just isn’t worth it despite a few places I like.
I think the 109% occupancy is because someone pays for parking and leaves and a new occupant shows up and pays for parking before the other payer’s time expired for the same spot. People who park illegally are not paying so do not get counted.
MCS: The SDOT link to the Ballard map is inoperative.
One wonders how thorough or long the studies were made, or if these are snapshots. Please confirm that the parking in front of the QFC on 24th becomes free after 6pm. The new condos across the street (did DPD permit them with insufficient offstreet parking?) are going to be an impact on that block. Thanks, I left you a VM.