The plan for just 35 public parking spaces in downtown Kent’s proposed mixed-use city center development has raised a few questions around City Hall.
Many of those questions from residents end up falling to Ben Wolters, city economic and community development director.
City officials announced last fall that Goodman Real Estate Inc., of Seattle plans to build a five-story, mixed-use complex to include about 164 apartments and 3,500 square feet of retail space with 35 public parking spaces. Construction is expected to start by the end of 2012.
“There continue to be questions about the availability of parking downtown,” Wolters said during a phone interview last week. “The challenge is when there is a change in a mix of businesses, parking is always an issue. Overall, parking in the downtown core is enough for the immediate term.”
Goodman demolished a half-built parking garage in October to make room for the apartments and retail space. Originally slated to be a 355-stall parking garage for a hotel, condominiums and retail space, work on the project stopped in May 2007 when the prior developer’s lender terminated the construction loan. Nearly 70 spots were to be designated for public parking in the so-called Project Springboard, although some brochures about the proposal listed as many 200 public parking spots.
“The difference is the needs and kind of development changed,” Wolters said. “They (Project Springboard) had a lot of parking because of a hotel and office project. This one’s there’s no hotel. It’s a much smaller footprint. The retail has shrunk from about 6,000 square feet with Springboard to 3,500 or less.”
Public parking has been available at the site since the 1960s when it was known as the municipal lot. In fact, the City Council approved a Local Improvement District in the late 1960s where property owners paid for approximately 360 off-street parking stalls.
“That LID is finished, it’s paid out a long time ago,” Wolters said. “It didn’t require the land to be held solely for parking. The city met all the obligations under the LID a long time ago.”
Wolters said the new apartment complex is proposed to include 160 parking spaces for the 164 apartments. He said the number is allowed under downtown zoning because of the availability of transit as well as residents who could walk to nearby jobs.
“There are a few renters who choose not to have a car,” he said.
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