APRIL 2025
Madison Park Times Serving East-Central Seattle since 1983
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Revisiting the Park
Bill would slash parking mandates to boost housing supply statewide By Tim Clouser | Center Square With Washington state facing a shortage of a million units, House lawmakers amended a bill Friday to cut statewide parking mandates to make room for the new homes over the next two decades. Lawmakers backed the proposal across party lines last month, passing it off the Senate floor on a 40-8 vote, with a few Republicans and Democrats dissenting. Praised by urbanists, Senate Bill 5184 would reduce parking mandated by state law to prioritize new development. Supporters say cutting the mandate could reduce building costs and promote a more multimodal future. Each stall can add tens of thousands of dollars to a project. However, opponents emphasize a need for local control when balancing new construction with available parking. “We’ve been working really hard over the last few years to try to find ways to make housing more affordable, and this is kind of
one of the last critical pieces,” Rep. Davina Duerr, D-Bothell, said. “I think everyone’s clear that housing people is more important than housing cars.” The House Local Government Committee approved three amendments to SB 5184 on March 21, sending it off to the Rules Committee to schedule a floor vote. Friday’s amendments included raising the exemption from cities with 20,000 people or fewer to 30,000 and allowing municipalities to impose limited mandates. Those include allowing localities to require at least one space per single-family home and half a spot for each multifamily unit; two parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of commercial space; additional parking beyond what SB 5184 allows for religious organizations and carpools; and allowing time-restricted parking. Prior versions of SB 5184 limited the amount of mandated parking to half a space for any residential unit and one spot per 1,000 square feet of commercial space. Rep.
Victoria Hunt, D-Issaquah, said her amendment attempts to make the process easier for smaller cities to comply with. “We need to work on making sure that our families have more options for more
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Annual garden tour set for June 7 By Friends of Madison Park Spring is in the air! The Friends of Madison Park volunteers have been hard at work planning events and advocating for our neighborhood amidst the
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ongoing One Seattle Plan discussions, and Madison Park’s official appeal to the One Seattle Plan is now before the city examiner. Among other actions taken, the Friends of Madison Park has updated the
proposed One Seattle Plan for Madison Park with adjusted boundaries and zone designations for several residential blocks, and have shared this with city
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