West Seattle Parking and Curbspace Review

Project Overview

The West Seattle Junction and Triangle are busy areas where people shop, dine, work, live, and gather.  As the neighborhood has grown and changed, there is more demand on limited curbspace. Local businesses need reliable access for customers, deliveries, takeout, and services. Visitors get to the Junction in many ways: walking, biking, transit, or driving. People who drive to the Junction need to be able to find parking without circling the neighborhood. Safe and visible intersections also help everyone travel safely. 

Since our last major parking review in 2017, the Junction and Triangle have added new homes, shops, restaurants, outdoor dining areas, and there is more delivery activity. Travel patterns have changed too, and future light rail will bring even more people. To support the Junction as it continues to grow, we want to make sure parking and curbspace meet today’s needs and prepare for the future. 

In spring 2026, we studied parking conditions and talked with more than 550 people visiting the Junction through intercept surveys. In summer 2026, we heard from thousands of people through online surveys, events, mailers, and conversations with local businesses.

What we learned helped shape the draft recommendations.

Draft Recommendations 

We are proposing five main changes to make it easier to travel to and around the Junction. 

• Add paid parking on the busiest blocks to help more spaces become available throughout the day
• Keep free, time-limited parking on other blocks and extend the hours to better match when the Junction and Triangle are busy
• Add and improve load zones for deliveries, takeout, quick stops, and passenger pick-up and drop-offs
• Improve safety at intersections by keeping areas near crossings clear so people walking, biking, and driving can see and be seen
• Add bicycle and scooter parking to make it easier to reach the Junction without a car 

Together, these changes are meant to improve access to local businesses, improve parking turnover, reduce circling, calm traffic, and make the Junction feel safer and more welcoming no matter how you travel. 

If you want more background, you can read our Frequently Asked Questions. 

These recommended changes are shown on the map below:  

New Paid Parking 

We recommend adding paid parking on the busiest blocks in the Junction. 

Paid parking helps spaces turn over so more customers and visitors can park near their destinations. We adjust rates based on parking demand, with a goal of keeping 1-2 spaces available on each block. 

When people can find a space more reliably, they spend less time circling the block.  

The following blocks would become 2-hour paid parking from 8am-8pm, Monday through Saturday: 

• California Ave SW from SW Dakota St and SW Edmunds St (east and west sides)
• 42nd Ave SW from SW Oregon St and SW Edmunds St (east and west sides)
• 44th Ave SW from SW Oregon ST and SW Edmunds St (east and west sides)
• SW Genesee St from California Ave SW and 42nd Ave SW (north and south sides)
• SW Oregon St from 44th Ave SW and 42nd Ave SW (north and south sides)
• SW Alaska St from California Ave SW and 42nd Ave SW (south side only)
• Fauntleroy Way SW from SW Alaska St and SW Edmunds St (east and west sides)
• SW Edmunds St from Fauntleroy Way SW and 40th Ave SW (north and south sides) 

Proposed Initial Paid Parking Rates 

The proposed initial rates are meant to keep 1-2 parking spaces available on each block during busy times:  

• Morning (8am - 11am): $1 per hour
• Afternoon (11am - 5pm): $4 per hour
• Evening (5pm - 8pm): $4 per hour 

SDOT regularly reviews parking demand and adjusts rates when needed. If parking is consistently too full, rates increase. If there are many spaces open, rates may decrease. 

Extend existing free time-limited parking to 8pm 

Not all parking will become paid parking. The following blocks would remain free with their 2-hour time limits. The time limit would be extended to 8pm to better match the hours when the Junction is busy:  

• California Ave SW from SW Edmunds St/Erskine Way SW to SW Hudson St (east and west sides)
• 40th Ave SW from SW Alaska St to SW Edmunds St (east and west sides)
• 41st Ave SW from SW Alaska St to SW Edmunds St (east and west sides)  

How These Changes Will Help the Junction 

The draft recommendations are intended to improve access and support this busy business district by providing: 

• Better access to local shops, restaurants, and services throughout the day
• More reliable parking for customers and visitors who drive
• Better access for deliveries, takeout, quick stops, and passenger loading
• Less circling for parking, which will calm traffic
• Safer, more visible intersections and crossings for everyone  
• More accessible parking for people with disabilities  
• More bicycle and scooter parking  

What Our Parking Studies and Surveys Show  

Parking Occupancy 

In April 2026, we studied parking occupancy in and around the Junction to better understand parking availability on a typical weekday and on a Saturday. To view the full parking study results, please see this link. 

The data shows that parking is in very high demand in the Junction. On a typical weekday, most blocks in the Junction are more than 70% full from late morning through the afternoon (11 AM  – 5 PM). In the evening between 5 PM  and 8 PM, parking gets even busier, with most blocks more than 86% full. Compared to 2017, demand for on-street parking in the Junction has grown significantly, especially in the midday and afternoon hours. Overall, parking demand during the busiest hours has increased by about 20% since 2017.

To view the parking occupancy at a blockface level, please click the links below. This blockface level data is also included in the full study document.