City of Redmond

The influx of new residents, jobs, and amenities presents an opportunity to holistically assess how parking in Downtown is being utilized and managed.

To address parking conditions and challenges today and in the future, the City of Redmond is developing a Downtown Parking Management Strategic Plan.

A study collected on- and off-street parking usage between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m to help us better understand the parking dynamics in Downtown.

A public questionnaire received 547 responses that asked people about their experience with parking. 

These are the results of that work. 

41% of downtown land is dedicated to parking.

This makes on- and off-street parking the largest land use in Downtown.

There are 13,000 parking stalls in Downtown.

Most stalls (10,894) are located in privately owned and managed off-street lots.

Off-street facilities include 185 acres of surface lots and 24 acres of garages.

There are 1,156 stalls in public on-street parking.

On-Street Parking Inventory

On-street parking is generally highly visible and used for quick trips, loading and unloading, or a visit to a local shop or restaurant.

On-street parking is in the highest demand and should be prioritized for customers and visitors to support downtown businesses.

Off-Street Parking Inventory

Most off-street parking is free and associated with the building or business on site.

Off-street parking also includes Park & Rides and permit parking.

Approximately 185 acres of Downtown land is used for surface parking and 24 acres for structured for garage parking.

90% of all off-street parking is privately owned and managed.

Town Center, with 4,612 parking stalls, has more than twice any other district.

Overall occupancy rates are between 50 - 60% for on-street parking, and 32 - 44% for off-street parking.

Survey respondents cited weekday and weekend evenings as the hardest times to find parking at 53% and 43% respectively.

On-Street Parking Occupancy

Overall on-street parking occupancy is above 50% in parts of the Downtown area.

However, Old Town and areas near Cleveland Street have streets with occupancy above 85%.

Demand for on-street parking is highest in the lunch hour and evening, corresponding to times visitors are coming to restaurants.

60% of on-street parking is time limited, most commonly for 2-hour parking.

Users can park on-street (including areas in high demand) beyond the posted time limits with a $50/month or $5/day permit.

Off-Street Parking Occupancy

All downtown zones have available off-street parking capacity during the day and in the evening.

There are some locations at or near capacity, however they are close to other garages with plenty of available parking.

Occupancy for publicly managed lots, like the Redmond Connector Lot, Transit Center Park & Ride and 160th lot, are above 90% during the day, dropping below 40% in the evening, which reflects the commuters who use public lots.

Parking rates vary throughout the city.

Changing Demand

Why people come downtown and how long they stay is changing as the city develops and new businesses & apartments come to Redmond.

The highest demand for parking begins when enforcement ends, after 5 pm when visitors come downtown for dining and Downtown residents come home from work. 

Commuter Parking

Demand for long-term parking for both residents and from neighboring communities is at capacity now and will increase when Light Rail arrives. 

King County Metro has begun offering paid permits for a portion of their parking spaces to help manage demand.

1/3 of on-street parking spaces have no time restrictions, so cars can be parked for extended periods of time, taking up spaces that would benefit from turnover.