Hough parking under review

Though a formal plan hasn’t been created, Vancouver Parking Services Manager Mike Merrill said the city is considering stretching the current two-hour parking area in the south part of Hough — between Harney and Columbia streets from West 16th Street to McLoughlin Boulevard — all the way to 25th Street. That’s nearly four times larger than the current zone.

“It’s an urban environment, so there’s limited property to build parking,” Merrill said.

The city’s Parking Advisory Committee plans to take on the topic at its Nov. 19 meeting.

The city is collecting comments from residents to decide how it should proceed, with staff visiting recent Hough and Uptown Village neighborhood meetings to gather input.

The Hough Neighborhood Association discussed the issue at its last two meetings. Feedback has been somewhat mixed, Amundson said, though no one has spoken up with major concerns over the idea.

“For the most part, I think that people are fine with it, and they don’t think it will be that much of an inconvenience to need to go get the permit, although it is an inconvenience; but it’s free, so it’s fine,” Amundson said. “I think (the current proposal) might even be a bit much, but it’s kind of hard to say because it all remains to be seen.”

Residents in the parking zone can apply for free parking permits, as well as visitor permits. Without those passes, vehicles can only park for two hours at a time in designated areas during the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The existing two-hour zone was established in 1982 to encourage fair sharing of available on-street parking for residents and visitors. The Uptown Village commercial district, which draws shoppers and diners in need of a place to park, abuts a number of homes in Hough.

The ongoing parking discussions began after City Councilor Alishia Topper asked city staff during the Aug. 25 council meeting to consider whether expanding the two-hour parking zone would be a good idea, especially considering two major apartment projects set for Uptown Village — 15 West Apartments, a five-story, 120-unit building currently under-construction west of Columbia Street between 15th Street and Mill Plain Boulevard, and The Uptown, a six-story, 166-unit apartment complex planned to be built between Main and Washington streets and McLoughlin Boulevard and 17th Street.

“Those two developments alone position the city to have increased parking demand that will spill into surrounding neighborhoods, many of which are historic homes without driveways or garages,” Topper wrote in an email. “The only option for those residents is on-street parking.

“I support multifamily construction downtown but want to ensure the city evaluates the impacts of car parking overflow in local neighborhoods. Our downtown is becoming a dense urban destination and the goal is to promote alternative modes of transportation. Until we have a solid infrastructure, I will be diligent and request plans to meet increased parking demand.”