HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  SB 5613

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                  Government Administration

Title:  An act relating to parking places for persons living on or near an institution of higher education.

Brief Description:  Authorizing reserved parking for homeowners near colleges.

Sponsors:  Senators Winsley, Rasmussen, Haugen, Prince, Wood, Schow, Jacobsen, Heavey, Goings, Patterson and Finkbeiner.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Government Administration:  3/25/97, 4/4/97 [DPA].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  Signed by 7 members:  Representatives D. Schmidt, Chairman; D. Sommers, Vice Chairman; Scott, Ranking Minority Member; Doumit; Reams; Smith and Wensman.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  Signed by 6 members:  Representatives Gardner, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Dunn; Dunshee; Murray; L. Thomas and Wolfe.

Staff:  Bronwyn Mauldin (786-7093).

Background:  Parking, standing, or stopping is prohibited in certain places, such as on sidewalks and planting strips, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, or anywhere that official signs prohibit parking, standing, or stopping.  Time limits on parking may be imposed by city ordinance, county resolution, or order of the secretary of transportation, upon the highways under their respective jurisdictions.

No person may reserve or attempt to reserve a portion of a highway, street, or road for the purpose of stopping, standing, or parking so that any other person is excluded from using that space. 

Summary of Amended Bill:  A county, city, or town may adopt ordinances allowing persons who own homes on or near the property of public or private colleges or universities to reserve parking spaces.  Each homeowner may reserve only one space, and it must be adjacent to the property.  The county, city, or town must establish rules providing boundaries, procedures for reserving spaces, signs and their installation, and appropriate enforcement measures.  They may also establish mechanisms to recover reasonable costs associated with providing these parking privileges.

A county, city, or town is not prohibited from using other innovative methods to control parking, such as residential parking zones, in areas subject to high parking demand.  Such ordinances may include mechanisms to recover reasonable associated costs.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The original bill allowed any person residing on or near a public college or university to reserve a parking space.  The amended bill limits these parking privileges to homeowners, and expands it to include private colleges and universities.  The original bill did not include provisions allowing for alternative parking control mechanisms, and did not include recovery of costs to the county, city, or town.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date of Amended Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  With universities expanding and students taking classes year-round, parking is becoming an increasing problem for homeowners near universities.  Homeowners near Gonzaga University are having a particularly bad time.

Testimony Against:  (original bill)   The bill should be amended to allow alternative parking control methods to solve parking problems near colleges and universities, such as the residential parking zones system Seattle currently uses.  Cities that have already worked out their parking problems should not be forced to redo their systems.

Testified:  Senator Winsley, prime sponsor; Charles Shell, city of Seattle; and Kathy Gerke, Association of Washington Cities.