City to restrict parking in neighborhoods near Kentridge High

Students who drive to Kentridge High School won’t be able to park in nearby neighborhoods anymore starting next fall because of a new city ordinance.

The Kent City Council’s Public Works Committee recommended Feb. 4 that the full council approve a no-parking zone from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays from September through June in the Glencarin Division I, Shadow Run and Jason Lane neighborhoods just south of the school, 12430 SE 208th St.

Teens often park on the streets because the student parking lot fills up. Residents of the neighborhoods complained to the city a couple of years ago in an effort to get the vehicles out of the area. About 192 households are in the three neighborhoods.

“When student parking fills up, they park in these neighborhoods and block driveways and take up spots the neighborhood could be using,” said Rob Brown, city transportation engineering manager, at the committee meeting.

“We have talked about this for at least two years,” said Councilman Dennis Higgins, chair of the Public Works Committee. “It is a valid concern. If I lived there, I would have the same concern. It’s been a long-standing concern with the county’s three ordinances. I agree with the need to do it and how we are implementing it. It’s time to move forward.”

King County posted no parking signs in the neighborhoods prior to the Panther Lake area’s annexation to Kent in 2010. But the signs had a variety of restrictions and were not being enforced since the city had no ordinances to restrict parking on the streets.

The committee agreed with a staff proposal to pay about $45,000 for 75 new signs. The signs will cost about $80 each. The rest of the cost is for removing existing wooden posts and replacing them with galvanized steel posts, Brown said.

“The signs were reaching the end of their useful life,” Brown said about the county signs.

Because of the time it takes to order signs and install them, city staff said the new signs won’t go up until August, just before the 2019-2020 school year starts.

One twist to the restriction is it applies to everyone. The city won’t issue permits to neighborhood residents in order to park between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Brown said the majority of residents that met with city staff approved of a restriction to all drivers.

“It sounds like this was the solution favored by the overwhelming majority of the residents there, so we will go with that,” said Higgins, who admitted he had thought permits would be an option.

The ordinance is expected to go before the full council on Feb. 19, but on the consent calendar. That means the measure is scheduled to be approved with numerous other items considered non-controversial with one vote.

Mill Creek neighborhood restrictions

The new ordinance also will include parking restrictions in the Mill Creek neighborhood to keep Sounder train commuters from parking on those streets. The committee approved that restriction at its Jan. 7 meeting.

City crews plan to post the Mill Creek parking restriction signs this spring. They will install 38 signs and issue permit stickers to residents. The signs will cost about $25,000.

The new residential parking zone signs will go up on State, Woodford, Kennebeck, Clark and Jason avenues as well as George, Cedar and Temperance streets. Permits, which neighborhood residents will be able to get for free from the city, will be required to park on the streets seven days a week.

Violators of no parking zones could face a $50 ticket and may be towed. Kent Police are in the process of hiring a second parking enforcement officer to help patrol the new parking restrictions in Mill Creek and near Kentridge.

Drivers park in front of Mill Creek homes and walk to catch the train because the Sounder parking garage is just west of the neighborhood but often fills up early in the morning. Sound Transit plans to build a second parking garage in Kent with as many as 550 spots, but that isn’t expected to be ready until 2023.