Seattle Safe Parking Site to Close, Relocate

A Seattle parking lot that formerly offered a safe parking space for people experiencing homelessness will lose its lease to a pickleball complex, reports Greg Kim in The Seattle Times.

“In May 2023, the Low Income Housing Institute signed a five-year lease to use an empty lot in Interbay to operate a designated space with services for people living in their vehicles. But the nonprofit said the contract had an early termination option after two years in case the landowner made progress on their development before the end of the lease,” Kim explains.

In most of Seattle, it is illegal to park for more than 72 hours in one spot. The lot provided parking space to 27 RVs and housed 11 tiny homes. It also provided a shared bathroom, laundry, electricity, and RV draining facilities. “People also had access to a behavioral health specialist who offered substance use disorder treatment and mental health counseling.”

The lot provided temporary housing for 87 people since it opened in December 2023. Of those, 30 percent have moved into permanent housing. LIHI commonly uses the permitting period for vacant properties to lease the space for tiny home villages. While the organization describes it as a win-win, it also acknowledges that this system means they often have to relocate residents and find new locations for temporary shelters.