Shoreline abolishes parking mandates
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
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| In his 2025 State of the City Speech Mayor Chris Roberts said Shoreline will become one of the first cities in the state to abolish parking mandates (photo by Oliver J Moffat) |
By Oliver J. Moffat
The Shoreline city council voted to delete the city's "arbitrary" parking mandates, placing the onus on property owners to decide how much pavement they need.
The Shoreline city council abolished parking mandates at the August 11, 2025 meeting, joining Bothell, Spokane, Port Townsend, Bellingham, and Bremerton in scrapping the “arbitrary” rules.
Last winter, the council gave city staff and the planning commission six months to eliminate vehicle parking minimums citywide in Shoreline. The council voted 6-to-0 to wipe parking mandates from the city’s development code.
In his 2025 State of the City Speech, Mayor Chris Roberts spoke in support of Shoreline becoming one of the first cities in the state to abolish parking mandates.
“We know that parking is one of the largest costs associated with development, up to $60,000 a space. These costs are reflected in increased costs of rent and the amount we pay for goods and services.
"These parking mandates also have environmental and community impacts, as they increase the amount of impervious surface, increase the number of heat islands, and make walking less pleasurable,” he said.
According to the city, parking mandates make housing more expensive by increasing housing construction costs. When developers have to build more parking than they need, it leads to fewer homes being built, higher home prices, and escalating rents.
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| Parking spaces sit empty under the Kinect apartment building next to the Shoreline North light rail station (photo by Oliver J Moffat) |
Too much parking means too much pavement, leading to fewer trees and vegetation, increased heat island effects, and more stormwater runoff, said the city.
“I’m certainly supportive of this,” Councilmember Keith Scully said previously. “I sort of evolved from [my] Planning Commission days when I was supporting at least some parking minimums to now... because we want affordable housing and reduced hardscape, and trees. And something's gotta give… if you're mandating all those things. And parking is the obvious choice,” he said.
Deputy Mayor Laura Mork supported the measure and said abolishing parking mandates “puts the onus on the people who are building the units… whether it's multifamily, single-family, commercial, to understand what is needed. And so the onus is on them…”
Councilmember John Ramsdell was absent from the meeting, but at a recent meeting, he spoke in favor of abolishing parking mandates.
"I'm very much in support of eliminating parking minimums. They let the market determine… what level of parking is going to be attractive for home buyers or residents or developers in the community, who are providing… much-needed housing".
He added, "having parking minimums is just going to encourage more urban sprawl and more use of our cars. So I'm very much in favor of this.”
The Shoreline Planning Commission recommended abolishing parking mandates and told the council, "elimination of this arbitrary set of standards will assist with the City’s competing goals by reallocating land from the car-centric sprawling parking lots to areas that can be used to retain trees, provide housing, protect critical areas, reduce stormwater runoff, and even reduce heat islands.”
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23 comments:
Happy to see this pass. I was originally on the fence on this issue, but, like several of our councilmembers, I came around after hearing the evidence. While there are some minor downsides, it was the right decision.
The Kinect hasn't even opened yet, no wonder it's lot is empty.
On the other hand, cars will need to be parked somewhere. Name a spot. In front of my house? Scattered around in illegal parking places? In grocery store parking lots so as to make it difficult for shoppers to park. I guess the city leaders might wonder where the cars from the new apartment complexes in North City will park their cars? 200 units, maybe 300 cars to park in the neighborhood. A dumb idea...
Great news!
In my neighborhood, east of Aurora, the major loss of water permeable surfaces is due to new developments (apartments, town-homes, mansions) occupying an entire lot. The idea that developers are providing parking at ground-level, thereby increasing the amount of “hardscape” is incorrect, and Mayor Robert’s statement "These parking mandates also have environmental and community impacts, as they increase the amount of impervious surface, increase the number of heat islands, and make walking less pleasurable,” is not relevant as it’s not happening: all of the parking is underground. And as I walk through the neighborhood I also don’t see the “car-centric sprawling parking lots” that the planning commission cites.
Once again the developers are driving the bus.
And Mr Moffat: please provide context for your photo, which implies that very few of the residents of the Kinect apartment complex own cars.
This is bonkers. Shoreline's streets are going to be packed with parked cars. Glad I live a couple of blocks from 205th. Shoreline is going to make Snohomish County the go to destination.
They might as well call this the Bad Neighbor Ordinance. Shoreline is a car dependent suburb. If residents of one of these apartment blocks can't get parking in their building, where are they going to park instead? On the street.
Can you imagine living three houses down from a new complex only to find yourself plunged into a street parking situation straight out of the U District?
Welcome to the future.
Unfortunately, what is missing from this article, mentioned during the public comment period and by several councilmembers during the council meeting, is that the climate crisis is real and encouraging walkable urban centers near transit corridors is an important step in reducing greenhouse gasses that are warming our planet. Eliminating parking requirements does not ban parking, but not requiring it increases the housing inventory, reduces homelessness and encourages non fossil fuel burning modes of transportation.
Your walkable urban centers near the transit station: how many grocery stores, high schools, doctors surgeries do they contain?
I agree. Time will tell.
We don't live in Manhattan, and wishful policy isn't going to make Shoreline into Manhattan. Shoreliners are going to continue to drive, even if they live in apartments. This will further detract from quality of life in our city as parked cars crowd neighborhoods next to the apartment buildings.
I agree with this comment. Not very walkable in terms of shopping
What is the City doing to insure necessary components of walkable urban centers? (Shaded, safe, maintained walkways to grocery, pharmacy, retail, restaurants, etc). I'm not sure eliminating parking mandates will help. I don't see that developers will "understand what is needed" & plant more trees, for example. It will be all about utilizing the added space for more units. And profit.
Another step in the process towards a sustainable existence. Bravo, Shoreline and other cities, for prioritizing housing and not parking.
If "Eliminating parking requirements does not ban parking", why is Mayor Roberts standing in front of a giant No Parking sign projected onto the screen?
I take it all this is being done by people who are fearful of global warming. The entire US produces 13.5% of the world's carbon emissions. Of that 13.5% Washington State produces 1.5%. Of that 1.5% how much do you figure Shoreline is responsible for? This plan is like trying to kill a fly with a grenade.
okay - I get the argument for not mandating parking spaces for the apartments. What I want to see is ENFORCEMENT of illegal parking. Tickets and towing. And don't tell me that puts an unfair burden on disenfranchised, POC, blah blah blah. Parking next to fire hydrants is illegal. Let me know how to attach a few photos I take of illegally parked vehicles on my daily travels. I've got a neighbor that seems to be running a car repair shop out of his house - box trucks, boats on trailers, cars all parked in front of the house and often sticking out over the fog line into the road. And where is my neighborhood liaison from the city? MIA
It’s being driven by the developers who would rather not be required to spend money on parking, but using climate zealots to do their heavy lifting.
Curious if the mayor has a car..
For those of you who like me, feel that the council is ignoring the living conditions of those in the neighborhood, remember the words of former mayor wil haul "it's not your neighborhood it's the city of shoreline's neighborhood"
Of course. As George Orwell said “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”.
“Easier for developers” guides most decisions in our fair city.
Also, are all units occupied? If not, perhaps one day the parking spaces will be needed? Or, was the photo taken during the day when everyone was working?
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