The Southwest District Council met Wednesday evening and discussed the Seattle Department of Transportation's (SDOT) proposed Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) legislation with MaryCatherine Snyder, a strategic advisor for the transportation department.

The presentation addressed changes to the city's current RPZ program. These changes would affect future RPZ’s established in West Seattle. Among the major changes highlighted were new zone permit management policies, changes to the RPZ zone creation process and an increase in parking enforcement.

One specific change would seek to remove the petition requirement needed to start an RPZ establishment process. Snyder said that the current legislation requires a 60 percent signed petition from the area in question. However, this has proven a problem for non-English speakers and individuals who are not comfortable with asking neighbors for signatures.

The petition also excludes community members who would be affected by the RPZ but do not live in the area.

Another noted change would increase the ratio of non-resident parking needed to petition for an RPZ from 25 to 50 percent. Snyder said this would take into account the wide range of commuters who need access to local businesses, schools and parks.

Certain proposed changes sparked opposition among the council members. Erica Karlovits of the Junction Neighborhood Organization found fault with a proposition that would increase the area needed to petition for an RPZ from five to 10 contiguous city blocks.

“The Junction doesn’t have that 10-block radius,” she said.

Karlovits went on to explain how the geography of West Seattle would make it hard to accommodate the 10-block radius proposal.

Another issue specific to the Junction concerns new businesses coming to the neighborhood. The worry, according to Karlovits, is that these new businesses will bring hundreds of employees to the area who will need parking. Those employees may seek out residential streets as a parking option if an RPZ is not established. Several council members recommended parking structures as a possible solution.

A shared consensus among several council members was that the proposed legislation is simply too general.

“They (SDOT) need to start looking at things from the point of view of the community and then work out toward legislation,” Fauntleroy Community Association member Vlad Oustimovitch said.

Chas Redmond of the Morgan Community Association felt similarly.

“SDOT needs to look at each neighborhood, every single block face, as a unique entity,” he said.

The board requested a motion for the Southwest District Council to compose a letter of concerns regarding the proposed RPZ legislation. The motion passed.

Snyder was thankful for the feedback and said SDOT is currently discussing a West Seattle parking plan. She encouraged council members to send concerns to Seattle City Council Transportation Committee chair Jan Drago at jan.drago@seattle.gov or by calling (206) 684-8801.

Drago's office will receive comments through May 15.