Upper Queen Anne Avenue North Curbspace Review

Project Overview

Upper Queen Anne is a busy neighborhood and business district where people shop, dine, work, live, and gather.  As Queen Anne has grown and changed, there is more demand for limited curbspace. Businesses in Queen Anne depend on reliable curbspace access for customers, deliveries, takeout, and services. At the same time, parking often very full, making it harder for customers and visitors who drive to find a space near their destinations.  

SDOT last reviewed parking in Upper Queen Anne in 2008, nearly two decades ago. Since then, the neighborhood and the way people get around have changed. Upper Queen Anne has added new homes, shops, restaurants, and outdoor dining areas. Additionally, there is a lot more delivery activity today than twenty years ago. We want to make sure parking and curbspace meets the neighborhood’s needs now and in the future. 

In spring 2026, we studied parking conditions and talked with more than 340 people visiting Queen Anne through our intercept surveys. In summer 2026, we heard from thousands of people through online surveys, events, mailers, and conversations with local businesses and organizations.  

What we learned helped shape the draft recommendations below. 

Draft Recommendations

We are proposing changes to make it easier and get to Upper Queen Anne: 

• Add paid parking on the busiest blocks to help more spaces become available throughout the day
• Keep free, time-limited parking on other blocks to provide a mix of parking options
• 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 Upper Queen Anne without a car

Together, these changes are meant to improve access to local businesses, improve parking turnover, reduce circling, calm traffic, and make Upper Queen Anne 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 of Upper Queen Anne. 

Our parking study showed that many blocks are already very full throughout the day. During the midday period, about 80% of blocks were mostly or very full. In the evening, the majority of the streets were more than 86% full. 

Paid parking helps spaces turn over so more customers and visitors have a chance to park near their destination. We adjust parking rates based on demand, with a goal of keeping about 1–2 spaces available on each block. 

When people can find a space more reliably, they spend less time circling the block. That means easier access to businesses and less unnecessary traffic on neighborhood streets. 

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

• Queen Anne Ave N from W Galer St to McGraw St (east and west sides)
• Boston St from Queen Anne Ave N to 1st Ave N (north and south sides)
• Boston St from Queen Anne Ave N and the alley just west of 1st Ave W (north and south sides)
• Crockett St from Queen Anne Ave N to 1st Ave N (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 - 8 pm): $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 would become paid. Parking on many blocks would remain free and time-limited, providing different parking options for people visiting Upper Queen Anne.  

The below blocks would remain free and time limited from 8am to 8pm, Monday-Saturday: 

• W Galer St between Queen Anne Ave N and 1st Ave W (north and south sides)
• 1st Ave N from Boston St to Crockett St (east and west side)
• Howe St from 1st Ave W to Queen Anne Ave N (north and south sides)
• Blaine St from Queen Anne Ave N to alley just west of 1st Ave N (north side)
• Garfield St from Queen Anne Ave N to 1st Ave N (south side only) 

How These Changes Would Help Upper Queen Anne 

The recommendations are designed 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
• More bicycle and scooter parking
• More accessible parking for people with disabilities 

What Our Parking Studies and Surveys Show 

Parking Occupancy 

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

Overall, Upper Queen Anne experiences consistently high parking demand throughout the day. On a typical weekday, most blocks in Upper Queen Anne are more than 70% full between late morning and evening (from 11 AM and 8 PM). In the evening between 5 PM and 8 PM, parking gets even busier, with most blocks more than 70% full and many blocks more than 86% full. Compared to 2022, demand for on-street parking in Upper Queen Anne has grown. The largest change in parking demand has occurred in the morning and early afternoon hours.  

To view the parking occupancy at a blockface level, please click the links below. This blockface level data is also included in the existing conditions report.