Council hears proposal for six-month interim paid surface parking ordinance to ease station-area parking pressure

Planner Zach Spencer and Community Planning Manager Carl Umgren presented an interim six-month ordinance to allow paid surface parking in additional commercial zones across Lynnwood, expanding beyond the current CG zone. Staff said the program is intended as a temporary measure to relieve parking stress around the light-rail station and during large events (sports, concerts) and that the interim ordinance would allow staff and council to study utilization, fee structures, and impacts prior to any permanent policy change.

Spencer told council that the Planning Commission held a public hearing on April 23 and recommended the draft ordinance 4-1. Staff noted paid parking lots would collect city sales tax and that the 6-month interim period would be used to gather data and evaluate whether to continue or end the program in the fall. Council members pressed staff about precedent concerns — whether monetizing vacant land for parking could disincentivize redevelopment — especially for the Northline Village site, which is the city's largest potential redevelopment parcel and is subject to a development agreement. Staff said they had provided owners with the draft and do not anticipate the ordinance would convert major development sites into permanent paid parking; they emphasized the interim nature and staff outreach to owners who may be planning development.

Other council concerns included possible lease lengths, business impacts, legal exposure, and whether six months is the right test period. Staff said the period is adjustable by council at extension time, and the program could include fee adjustments based on the six-month evaluation. The council asked for more detail on likely parking capacity and on how third-party leasing and month-to-month arrangements might be handled.

Next steps: the council will consider the ordinance in a future meeting; staff will return with further details and analysis from the interim test period if the ordinance is approved.