6057 Ann Arbor Ave. NE

                                                                                                Seattle, WA 98115-7618

                                                                                                January 2, 2005

Department of Planning and Development

ATTN:  Scott Ringgold

700 5^th Avenue, Suite 2000

PO Box 34019

Seattle, WA 98124-4019

RE:  Project #2405908

Dear Mr. Ringgold,

Please consider my comments in the decision to allow a park and ride lot in the single-family zone within Warren G. Magnuson Park.

It was a surprise to me and to other neighbors that the parking area adjacent to the Lake Washington shoreline within the park had not been permitted for the park and ride lot that Parks administration have allowed for the past several years!  While sympathetic to the needs of the construction companies and to Children's' Hospital to have parking available to their employees, there are several concerns that should be addressed if this is to be permitted as a conditional use of our park land.

• While using only 375 parking spaces and leaving 3,048 parking spaces in Warren G. Magnuson Park, these 375 parking spaces are adjacent to the boat launch while most of the remaining 3,048 spaces are more remote from the launch.  Also, Parks administration has appropriated the south side and north side of the lot for staging of athletic fields and as storage for chips, compost, and yard waste.  Until and unless plans are developed for an area to replace the parking for over-flow from the boat launch, especially on high use days, an alternate site in one of the other 3,048 parking spaces should be considered.
• Runoff of rainwater is a problem in this particular parking lot.  Is there any plan to direct the water contaminated with vehicular metal and oil to a treatment site?  There are three drains within the immediate area that have been "plugged" in previous rainy seasons and rainwater and runoff frequently flow toward Lake Washington.
• Flooding of the streets leading into the current un-permitted park and ride lot led park administration to move jersey barriers along the south side of the parking area to allow traffic to move from the lot onto NE 65^th Street.  There is no curb cut at this spot and there are no warnings for either pedestrians or other park visitors that vehicles exit across the shoulder and walking path.
• Speed limit signs of 20 mph are largely ignored by park and ride users.  Stop signs that were previously sited at the 3-way intersection of the service road to the lot were removed.  The speed of vehicles greatly increased and this service road is between the sports field used by children and the parking lot in which their parents' vehicles are parked.  Before conditionally permitting a park and ride lot, traffic control should be studied and traffic-calming devices installed.  Returning the two removed stop signs should also be a condition.
• Since there are 3,048 other spaces accessory to Warren G. Magnuson Park, some of these should be considered as suitable for a park and ride lot.  Use of the parking spaces at the North Shore may provide the more appropriate location to a conditional use since many fewer park visitors park in these spots because they are far from access to the beaches, walkways, trails, and motorized boat launch in the southern park of the park.
• Signage is very important!  If any park property is used for non-park use, a sign must state that park users can still use the park and ride lot and that the renter of the property does not have exclusive use of the lot.  (In a conversation with a representative of Children's, I detected an understanding that the 375 spaces would be an exclusive use for the renter of the property.)  In the past, use of a parking area at Dahl playfield by Metro was conditioned by placement of signs informing citizens that they could park in an area used as a park and ride lot by Metro riders.

Thank you for considering my comments.

Sincerely,

Bonnie E. Miller