How much would it cost to park outside Queen Anne Book Company on a Saturday afternoon in 2027? Under the draft plan the Seattle Department of Transportation released on September 30, it would be $4 an hour, with a two-hour limit. A full stay would cost $8. Pull into the same space before 11 a.m. and the rate drops to $1 an hour. On a Sunday it would be free.
The proposal has drawn a letter from the Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce, a resident petition, and TV coverage. Read the city's draft and the Chamber's letter side by side, though, and the two documents overlap on most of what they ask for. The real disagreement is narrow. It comes down to whether a price on eight blocks is needed to open up one or two spaces per block. That question is still open, because SDOT says it will revise the plan this winter and install changes in 2027.
The eight blocks in the draft
SDOT's Upper Queen Anne Curbspace Review proposes two-hour paid parking from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, on these blocks:
- Queen Anne Ave N from W Galer St to McGraw St, both sides
- Boston St from Queen Anne Ave N to 1st Ave N, and from Queen Anne Ave N to the alley just west of 1st Ave W
- Crockett St from Queen Anne Ave N to 1st Ave N
The proposed starting rates are $1 an hour from 8 to 11 a.m. and $4 an hour from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. You could pay by card, coin or phone, in 15-minute increments. Parking would stay free overnight, on Sundays and on City holidays. Under the city's FAQ, SDOT would check occupancy two to three times a year after installation and move rates up or down by 50 cents to keep one or two spaces open on each block.
Nearby side streets would remain free with two-hour limits, and those limits would run until 8 p.m. That includes W Galer west to 1st Ave W, 1st Ave N between Boston and Crockett, Howe St, the north side of Blaine and the south side of Garfield.
This would be a bigger change citywide than it might sound. The Urbanist reported that the Upper Queen Anne and West Seattle Junction proposals together would be Seattle's largest expansion of paid on-street parking in at least a decade. Only 2% of the city's streets have meters at all. SDOT last reviewed parking on Upper Queen Anne in 2008.
Where the Chamber letter and the city's draft already overlap
On September 23, the Chamber and participating businesses sent a letter to Mayor Katie Wilson, the Seattle City Council and SDOT. KING 5 reported that the letter agrees parking availability and turnover need to improve, but asks the city to try other tools first. Susan Short of the Chamber told the station that 43 residents and businesses had signed on as of that Thursday. According to The Urbanist, the signers include the owners of Queen Anne Book Company, Betty Restaurant, Aluel Cellars, Bounty Kitchen and Stuhlberg's, plus the director of the Queen Anne Farmers Market.
Here is how the letter's requests compare with SDOT's draft:
| What the Chamber letter asks for | What SDOT's draft already proposes |
|---|---|
| Better intersection visibility | Intersection "daylighting," meaning cleared spaces near crossings |
| Changes to stop controls | Better-marked crosswalks and other safety options under study for 2027 |
| More accessible parking | More accessible parking for people with disabilities |
| Larger loading zones | New 5-, 15- and 30-minute load zones, with 5-minute zones free to all |
| Refreshed curb markings and stronger enforcement of existing limits | Turnover handled through pricing on eight blocks, with free time limits extended to 8 p.m. elsewhere |
| Keep street parking free | Free on surrounding blocks, paid on the busiest eight |
Four of the six requests show up in the city's draft in some form. The FAQ even says where the free 5-minute zones would go, "near coffee shops or businesses with a lot of takeout activity." That matches the worry Queen Anne Book Company owner Krijn De Jonge raised in a KOMO News report. He and his wife have owned the bookstore since 2013. His customers usually come in to browse or pick something up, he told KOMO, so "it may be worse for coffee shops where you just hop in and buy a cup of coffee." De Jonge also told KOMO he supports SDOT's plan for more load zones.
The dispute that's left is about price
The two documents part ways on how to make spaces turn over. The Chamber's letter, as quoted by The Urbanist, puts its case plainly:
"Free and accessible street parking is an attractive feature of the Queen Anne business district for visitors, customers, and neighborhood residents. It makes it easier to stop for a meal, run an errand, visit a local shop, attend an appointment, or spend time in the neighborhood."
The letter adds that high parking demand on the Ave "should not be interpreted as support from the business community for paid parking." It calls for enforcement, loading zones, pickup spaces and accessible parking to be "fully utilized" before meters are considered.
SDOT points to its parking counts. On Thursday, April 23, 2026, about 80% of studied blocks were mostly or very full between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Most streets were more than 86% full between 5 and 8 p.m. The Urbanist reported that 11 of the 22 Upper Queen Anne blocks topped 85% occupancy. Several were over 100%, which means drivers were parking in spots not designated for parking. SDOT's pricing program aims for 70% to 85%.
The city's FAQ also addresses who is in those spaces. It says employees who park in front of businesses keep spaces full for long stretches. It points them to off-street options, to free blocks outside the paid area, and to employer transit passes through ORCA Business Programs.
The survey data cuts both ways. According to SDOT's September outreach summary, 76% of businesses said it's hard for customers to find parking, and 51% said loading is difficult. In the same summary, nearly half of residents said they walk to the business district, while most visitors drive. The Urbanist reported that 61% of Queen Anne survey respondents arrived on foot, by bike or by transit. That makes the free curb mostly a visitor amenity, and the Chamber's letter calls visitors the reason to keep it free.
Residents on the Ave itself have a separate concern. A Change.org petition created October 16 by a Queen Anne Avenue resident says some residents have no on-site parking and don't qualify for a restricted parking zone permit. It warns that meters would push their cars onto side streets, and it asks the city to expand RPZ eligibility and enforce existing time limits. SDOT's own outreach summary recorded similar worries, including spillover onto neighborhood streets, RPZ violations and cars staying past the two-hour limit.
De Jonge's other complaint was about timing. He told KOMO that by the time he spoke with SDOT, the decision seemed to have been made already. "The city says this will improve parking, so that remains to be seen."
The same blocks, this winter and into 2027
The north end of the proposed paid zone is the corner of W McGraw St and Queen Anne Ave N, and two businesses there will see the most foot traffic from any change. Legacy Wine Co. has taken over the space McCarthy & Schiering left earlier this year. Its website lists 2401 Queen Anne Ave N and Wednesday through Sunday hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. In a Northwest Wine Report profile, co-owner Mark Shipley called the McGraw corner "a hub and harbor for fine wine-focused people." He runs the shop with partner and building owner Tom Lether, and Dan Schieffer, the longtime manager of the old store, leads the retail operation.
Kitchen & Market, which sells meal kits, grab-and-go items and produce, announced it will open on that same corner in early 2027, MyNorthwest reported. That timing roughly matches SDOT's installation window. A grocery-style stop that depends on quick trips is the kind of business the free 5-minute zones are designed for.
Here is what's on the calendar for the corridor:
- November 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A Thanksgiving Harvest Market, listed on the Queen Anne Chamber calendar.
- December 4, 5 to 6 p.m. The Chamber's Grand Tree Lighting.
- This winter. SDOT revises the draft based on comments from businesses, residents and visitors.
- 2027. SDOT installs whatever changes it adopts. KING 5 reported the target as early 2027.
Comments go through the online form on SDOT's project page, alongside the parking study and outreach summary behind the draft. Two details are still undecided and open to comment: where the free 5-minute load zones go, and whether the paid zone stays at eight blocks.
Everyday access to the Ave is part of what a Queen Anne home offers, and changes like this matter when it's time to price and market one. If you'd like a Queen Anne-specific view of your home's value as the curb plan takes shape, Ken Graff Homes can walk you through it. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
