SeaTac City Council members eased on Sept. 26 parking stall regulations for a parking garage under construction at International Boulevard and South 170th Street.
Lawmakers amended a development agreement to allow the MADA company to install 20 "compact" parking stalls next to stairways inside the garage. The smaller stalls will measure 15 feet, two inches long.
The agreement already allowed installation of about 250 17-foot-long "substandard" stalls. About 75 percent of the facility's 1,047 slots will be the "standard" 18 feet long.
All will be eight and a half feet wide.
Planning Director Steve Butler said access to the stairs would be adequate with the smaller stalls.
"This is in keeping with the spirit of the agreement," Butler noted.
Developer Josh Goniu told lawmakers the facility will be exclusively valet parking.
Deputy Mayor Ralph Shape then introduced an amendment stating that the compact stalls would be allowed only as long as the facility remains exclusively valet parking.
Shape was the only council member to vote in favor of his amendment.
SeaTac officials have encouraged the development of parking structures in place of surface lots.
In other business, the council approved a study to determine the feasibility of building a city-owned training, conference or performing arts center.
The city would split the $3,500 fee for the 12-week study with developer Fred McConkey.
In July, McConkey proposed a development at South 170th Street that would include a 140-room hotel, condominiums, retail space and a parking garage as well as a city-owned center.
McConkey originally proposed a conference center but modified it to avoid competing with facilities in existing hotels.
Economic development manager Todd Cutts said the feasibility study would be undertaken by Columbia Hospitality, which operates Washington Mutual's Cedarbrook training center in SeaTac.
Councilman Don DeHan noted that nearby performing arts centers are located next to Highline High School in Burien and Foster High School in Tukwila.
Cutts said the study would research market demand, cost estimates, profit potential and possible operators.
