ST Selects Contractor to Operate Permit Parking Program
Angle Lake Station parking garage, to feature $5/month carpool parking permits starting Opening Day - Sounder Bruce
The Operations & Administration Committee of the Sound Transit Board took action Thursday on several contracts, including the selection of the contractor to operate Sound Transit's soon-to-be-permanent permit parking program.
Republic Parking Northwest submitted the winning bid to operate the program. RPNW will administer the permits, patrol the permitted stalls at the lots, issue warnings, and tow cars when appropriate. RPNW operates several public and private parking lots in Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Everett, Oregon, Idaho, and Hawaii. The contract is for one year, with four one-year extension options.
The program will just be for carpools for the first 6-9 months, charging $5 per permit per month. Permit holders will have to provide ORCA card numbers for their passengers, which will be used to determine whether an average of at least three of them are riding, when permits are up for renewal.
Setting a permit fee for SOVs will require a separate Board action in the coming months. Part of the SOV permit fee discussion will be about recouping the cost of the program, which could run as high as $3.1 million for the five-year life of the contract. The background material offers this bit of optimism:
Of peer agencies offering monthly permit parking, SEPTA charges $20/month, LA Metro charges $20-$39/month, BART charges $30-$115/month, CTA charges $40-$129/month and DART charges $50-$60/month. Under any of these fee structures, Sound Transit would be able to fully recoup permit parking management costs, and may be able to generate net revenue.
The lots covered by the program will include Angle Lake Station from the first day it is open, Tukwila International Boulevard Station, all five Sounder station lots from Puyallup to Tukwila, Federal Way Transit Center, Issaquah TC, and Mercer Island Park & Ride. Up to 50% of the stalls at each lot could eventually be brought into the program.
Sound Transit had a parking permit pilot project from 2013 to 2014.
King County Metro is considering following suit. Its survey on the topic continues through August 19.
Committee Chair Paul Roberts quipped, "There is no finish line insofar as parking is concerned."
Other contracts for which the committee gave final approval were renovation of the basement in Union Station, and replacement of cracking concrete at Auburn Station.
The committee also recommended approval of the Draft Transit Development Plan (TDP) 2016-2021 and 2015 Annual Report, which goes to the full Board next for final approval on August 25.