A dispute over a small parking area just adjacent to the Pecos Pit Bar=B=Que on 35th SW is the subject of a public meeting scheduled for Jan. 12 at the West Seattle Senior Center.

The space in question served as a parking lot for more than six decades according to owner Gerry Kingen, but never had the kind of traffic now being generated by the presence of Pecos Pit. The issue came to a head when neighbors pointed out that parking was taking place there, in a spot that by law is not permitted for the purpose.

City Councilmember Lisa Herbold said, “the lot in question is single family zoned and - without a permit - parking is prohibited outright as a use.  

The community discovered that the property use was in violation in early December after a meeting with Department of Construction and Inspections.  My recollection was that neighbors were shocked that the parking was occurring in violation of the code.

The permit- as do other permits - has specific conditions that will address impacts arising from a parking lot location within a single family zone.”

The land Pecos is on, is owned by Seattle City Light.

Pecos has had several meetings with JuNO (the Junction Neighborhood Organization) as well as with community members and has been responding to neighbor requests, installing a tree line in the lot and applying for and getting a six month permit with a six month extension.

The company has sought and gotten lots of public support with people signing a petition in support of their use of the parking lot.

Pecos management shared the following regarding their activities, expenses and position regarding the parking lot issue.

How have we improved the Pecos Pit Property?

• Replaced the run-down teriyaki building with a brand new bright and vivid building.
• Cleaned up area across the alley from the restaurant.
• Cleaned up parking lot.
• Cleaned up area around substation.
• We have helped to eliminate the homeless and drug use issues.
• We have also gotten the RV’s that used to park around the area to relocate.

Did the City know what we were doing?
Yes

Did we obtain all the necessary permits and approvals?
Yes

Community Outreach

We have individually reached out to our West Seattle neighbors, both community and businesses to ask for their support. 346 individuals have sent petitions into the City’s website. 328 petitions have been positive with 18 being negative. Another 150 petitions have been submitted to the City but aren’t on the website.

We have the support of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. They wrote a letter to the City Council as well as the City in support of our efforts.

We have had numerous meetings with Nerd ( Neighbors Encouraging Reasonable Development), JuNO and Seattle Green Spaces to work on finding a win-win solution to the parking issue.

Stewardship

What have we done to maintain the area around the restaurant?

• We pick up garbage from the alley between Pecos Pit and 7-11.
• We take care of the public common areas around the restaurant.
• We reach out to our neighbors to make sure we are being good citizens.
• In interest of starting a dialogue about Pecos Pit long term goals for the City Light. Properties – Pecos and JuNO are meeting for the Avalon Substation parking lot project.

Employment
We are currently employing about 20 team members.

Cost to Pecos Pit.
$100,000. This includes loss of revenue, traffic consultants, staff time, architects and attorney fees.

Some of the benefits of the Pecos Pit parking lot are as follows:

• Pecos Pit is a great new business for West Seattle.
• Pecos Pit store design and its food and beverages are state of the art.
• Off street parking for Pecos Pit is good for the neighborhood as on street parking is limited.
• Pecos Pit use of the old City Light parking lot is an ideal use of an otherwise neglected property.
• Pecos Pit cleaned up the old City Light parking lot and will maintain it and prevent misuse of the property.
• Pecos Pit employs 20 people in West Seattle and they are wonderful, friendly folks who deserve our support.
• Many, many Pecos Pit customers in West Seattle are already supporting the request for use of the old City Light parking lot.

The meeting is set for January 12 at 6:30pm.

Here’s the listing from the DPD:

The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (Seattle DCI) is currently reviewing the application described below and will hold a public meeting to gather comments on the project.
Project Description: Land Use Application to allow temporary use for parking nine vehicles for up to six months. 
The project requires the following approvals:  
• Temporary Land Use to allow parking for up to six months. 

INFORMATION AVAILABLE  
A copy of the plans and other application materials are available at the Seattle DCI Public Resource Center, 700 5th Avenue, Suite 2000 (206) 684-8467. The Public Resource Center is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday and at the following web link, http://web6.seattle.gov/dpd/edms/, by entering the project number.  

PUBLIC MEETING
A public meeting to review this application will be held on Thursday, January 12, 2017 at West Seattle Senior Center, 4217 SW Oregon Street, 6:30 pm. Written and/or oral comments may be submitted at the meeting.  
This facility is accessible. Print and communication access available on request. Please contact the Public Resource Center (206) 684-8467 as soon as possible to request accommodation for a disability.