SEATTLE -- Residents in some of Seattle's most desirable apartment complexes are paying a premium for parking spaces that seem to be getting smaller.
KING 5 visited 13 apartment complexes and found a growing number of parking spaces below the standard sizes set by the city.
Historically, Seattle has set standards for parking spaces and required at least 60 percent be medium or 8' wide.
The city defines a compact space as 7'5" and a large space as 8'5".
Now, in a growing number of dense neighborhoods, the city is no longer requiring developers to offer parking. In those cases, developers can make spaces they choose to offer whatever size they want.
Ballard, Fremont, Capitol Hill, downtown, South Lake Union and Queen Anne have all been impacted.
"We want to encourage more housing there and by not mandating parking, it decreases the cost to build housing," said Bryan Stevens, spokesperson for the Department of Planning and Development.
These spaces can range in price from $100 to $250 a month.
At Ava Queen Anne, KING 5 measured spaces as small as 6'6" in some cases. The largest spaces KING 5 found were 7'3.5".
Stream Uptown had spaces 7'6" and 6'10".
The Three20 Apartments offered spaces mostly 7'3" or 6'10.5". Some spaces stretched to 7'7".
Union SLU had spaces 7'2", 6'9" and 7'5". In select cases where the larger space was also by a wall it stretched to 8'5".
It's a problem, considering a sedan like the Ford Fusion is just shy of seven feet mirror to mirror, making it too big for several of the spaces, fitting tightly into several others.
Harry Buedel moved to Seattle from Arizona and has been struggling to find a parking space big enough for his truck.
Buedel had to leave his last apartment after complaining to management his truck didn't fit in any of the spots.
"The truck would fit in the garage, but I couldn't open the doors," Buedel said.
Even after the move to a bigger spot, Buedel still managed to get an unwanted kiss from his neighbor.
"The lady who did it came in and told me, 'I'm sorry, it was just so crowded,'" Buedel said.
"The cost of below grade parking is obscene so everyone squeezes as much as possible and says, 'Okay, people just deal with it,'" said Brad Hinthorne, architect with Perkins+Will based in Seattle.
Hinthorne doesn't think developers are intentionally tricking consumers, but he has seen a trend toward smaller spaces.
A recent city report estimated parking can add $20,000 to $50,000 to a construction project per space.
Hinthorne said saving a couple inches a space on parking can save a lot of money.
Developers for Rollin Street Flats in South Lake Union offered the largest spaces over all.
"The project was designed and built as condominiums, and that is what shaped our parking garage design decisions. Vulcan decided to convert the building to apartments about one to two months before it opened, because of the financial collapse. Based on Vulcan's demographic data, they felt that their target market would want medium or large spaces," said Carolyn Forsyth, project manager with Ankrom Moisan.
"We believe that the spaces meet the city standards as well as the needs of our residents," said Marty McKenna, Equity Residential spokesperson. Equity manages the Three20 Apartments on Capitol Hill.
"Keep in mind that AVA Queen Anne was not required by code to provide residential parking. We built a large number parking spaces without being required to... Yes, we think this is fair to our residents," said an AvalonBay spokesperson.
"As the largest transit oriented development on the West Coast, we certainly encourage the use of public transit, but recognize that many residents still need their cars. Our goal is to provide as many parking spaces for residents and visitors to Stadium Place as possible. Our medium size spaces match the needs of the majority of our residents and guests and we also provide alternatives to traditional parking in the form of dedicated electric car charging stations, zip car options and bike storage," said Billy Pettit, Senior Vice President, Pillar Properties.
Pillar Properties developed both the Nolo and Wave in Pioneer Square. KING 5 measured the spaces in the Stadium Place parking structure at 7'9-10". Pillar Properties disputes the measurements and said the spaces were 8'.
The other developers did not respond to our request for comment, and all of them declined an in person interview.
"If I try to park and I can barely get outside my door, that is an issue," said Mike Archambault, treasurer of the Capitol Hill Community Council.
Archambault advocates for residents on Capitol Hill and has complained to the city about its policy.
"When you get a spot, they should advertise the actual spot you are getting," Archambault said.
KING 5 asked Stevens why the city doesn't enforce its standard sizes even on parking that's voluntary in an effort to protect residents.
"Well, we are saying none is required for a good reason. We don't want to mandate what the needs are of future tenants in those buildings. As a tenant you would want to know what you are purchasing is going to work for you and that is going to have to be part of the due diligence when you are renting an apartment," Stevens said, reiterating it is not the city's responsibility.
Lately Harry has been eying his neighbors' cars.
"I have noticed lots of little cars," Buedel said, although he hates the thought of parting with his truck.
He's facing a tough choice: deal with the squeeze, move somewhere else, or ditch the car.
"Take what you can get," Buedel said.
Two of the buildings KING 5 visited, the Slate and the Flats, aren't completely exempt from parking, but were approved for a parking reduction because of their proximity to a public transit stop.
Stevens said those building should be meeting size requirements and said he would send a city inspector out to evaluate the garages. If they are found to be non-compliant, the developer could be required to restripe the garages.
