How bad is parking in the city? (Seattle, Everett: apartments, to rent)

[Wanton Busker]

I'm looking to move to Seattle soon, and am searching for apartments. I'll be bringing a car with me and I'm wondering, if I were to rent a place that does not come with parking, is it feasible to find my own parking? For example, I was google street-viewing a place in SLU and noticed that most of the street parking in the neighborhood was all pay-to-park. Are there areas with free public street parking? Are there any public parking garages where I can rent a stall? Or should I only look for apartments that include parking?

Thanks for any advice!

[Flightoficarus87]

Unfortunately, most of the city is pretty terrible for parking. More central neighborhoods like SLU, Lower Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, and Belltown are by far the worst, but even places like Ballard, Fremont, and U-District are pretty bad too. Even the last bastions of places with easier parking (West Seattle Junction, Greenwood, etc) are starting to get a bit crowded.

Bottom line - You will probably want a dedicated parking spot, especially in the most central areas. You may get away without one in less dense/walkable parts of town.

[thatguy950]

Agreed with above.

Also, street parking in Seattle on a regular basis pretty much guarantees regular break-ins to your car.

[tobester]

The farther you live from the Seattle core, the more likely you are to have parking with an apartment - places like Everett and Kent have parking.

[hurricane harry]

Street parking in Seattle sucks.
As mentioned if you park on the street your car will get violated.

[Kayela]

Street parking anywhere remotely close to DT, SLU, Belltown, etc is rare, expensive, and highly competitive. Garages are also expensive and likely to have waiting lists. Most apartments will charge extra for parking, nor will you have a reserved spot, but at least you'll have a structure where you can park as long as they haven't over-reserved, or people don't let their friends slip in and take all the parking. Your best bet is to find someone renting their condo with a reserved spot.

[mhays25]

If you want to live centrally, it's much easier to get rid of the car. Suddenly life has 20% more money.

[Hemlock140]

I see garages still offering monthly parking in the $250-300 range. Residential areas to the north such as Ballard, Magnolia, Maple Leaf have street parking still, if you can find a space. The closer you get to large apartments the less parking is available.

[daberkow]

Originally Posted by thatguy950

Also, street parking in Seattle on a regular basis pretty much guarantees regular break-ins to your car.

Can't stress this enough.

[jakebarnes]

If you want to live in any central neighborhood, plan to pay for parking or spend a fair amount of time searching everyday (and the occasional break in). I would recommend paying for a spot. If you can't afford that, you could get rid of your car or live further out in the suburbs (Shoreline, Renton, etc.)