Viva La Cola!

Founded in January 2009, PubliCola is a blog about Seattle written by journalists who are dedicated to non-partisan, original daily reporting that prioritizes a balanced approach to news. Started by longtime local editor and award-winning reporter Josh Feit, PubliCola is the first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol.

PubliCola was off and running. In June 2009, PubliCola hired another award-winning journalist, super-sourced Seattle city hall reporter Erica C. Barnett.

People were afraid that blogging would change journalism. Instead, we believe journalism can change blogging. Twenty-first century journalism may look and feel different, and yes Erica isn't afraid to get cranky, but we're committed to making sure online news still delivers independent, reliable, even-keeled coverage. And most of all, we're committed to making sure the coverage sparks honest civic debate.

Bringing you cola for the people, PubliCola is named after Publius Valerius PubliCola, the alias for the authors of the Federalist Papers—the original bloggers.

x close
The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

City Approves More Money for Money-Losing Downtown Garage

City Hall   September 6, 2011 at 2:53 pm Erica C. Barnett

The city council just approved up to $4 million in additional loans through the end of the year to the troubled city-operated Pacific Place parking garage. The new money comes on top of a $1.5 million loan approved last year. The garage has been losing nearly half a million dollars a year as fewer people park in private lots downtown during the economic downturn.

“Due to the prolonged economic downturn, Pacific Place parking garage revenues do not cover expenses,” council budget chair Jean Godden said.

The city agreed to buy the garage for $23 million more than it cost to build in 1997, or twice the national average per parking stall at the time, as part of a deal with developers to build Pacific Place and move Nordstrom into its current location downtown. Although the cost to park at the garage was already considerably lower than the market rate downtown, at $5 an hour (compared to $10 to $12 an hour for privately run garages nearby), Mayor Mike McGinn reduced short-term parking rates at Pacific Place to $3 an hour—less than on-street parking in the commercial core, which is now $4 an hour.

City staffers say it’s unclear whether the ongoing parking revenue shortfall has been helped or hurt by lower parking rates, although logic would seem to dictate that fewer people parking at Pacific Place, combined with lower parking rates, would result in lower parking revenues.


  • Dakrtio

    Maybe City, County, State, and the Federal Government will learn their lesson finally and STOP bending over for miserly Companies and Corporations who ALWAYS HAVE THEIR HANDS OUT FOR HELP, yet never really give enough in return.

    Just look at what the City’s doing now. Had to buy the damn garage in the first place for an INFLATED FEE, subsidized the high parking rates at a loss just to keep Downtown busy and active by people who are increasingly priced out of normal life in their own cities, and now having to LOAN the damn garage money to keep the whole racket going even longer so the City doesn’t look even more pathetic and close it down or jack the rates up as high as the other jackals around the City.

    It’s time for Governments all over the Nationalize everything, from parking garages to whatever, give the companies just a little in return, and start the game over from scratch. We’ve reached the tipping point, yet it just keeps going as if everything’s hunky dory.  

  • risky auto finance

    or logic dictates that lower prices leads to more revenue, if you deal with the concept of elasticity of supply or demand.

    in general this shows the foolishness of government revenue projections dependent on one form of tranpsortation in this case, autos.  This is why the DBT and tolling projections are rolling the dice.  Sure, we think the toll revenue will be adequate, but there’s this 5-45% chance it won’t be and we have no data base to calculate or project that risk.

  • Jakers

    But supply is limited so you can only go so far down that price curve before it runs out, and then what? In a non-government business, logic dictates that the business folds and credits loss their money.

  • Jakers

    But supply is limited so you can only go so far down that price curve before it runs out, and then what? In a non-government business, logic dictates that the business folds and credits loss their money.

  • http://www.twitter.com/joeszi Joe Szilagyi

    Are we legally obligated to hold onto this thing for x years? Couldn’t we just sell it? 

  • Anonymous

    No biggie. It’ll be fine. Though I wish we hadn’t bought it back then, it’s not a problem and seems to have accomplished what it meant to.

  • Anonymous

    No biggie. It’ll be fine. Though I wish we hadn’t bought it back then, it’s not a problem and seems to have accomplished what it meant to.

  • jimu

    Is the problem that there are not enough cars to park in the garage? If so, why can the neighboring lots charge $10-$12? Pacific Place is prime parking. My guess is that the parking is too cheap and they should raise, not lower, prices.

    Also, why would the City Council approve loans for something unless there was a plan in place to turn it around. Is it OK to lose $500,000/yr? This seems like a lack of leadership on the Council’s part, in my opinion.

  • Jakers

    Even if we take the loss, but to take a hit now and be done with it.

  • Anonymous

    Someone tell Licata and Citizens for More Important things.  Government shouldn’t subsidize private business owners, ever, in any manner.

  • SocialJusticeAvengerforUnions

    Thank you Norm Rice

  • Greenhood

    It’s so obvious. Multi-leveled rollerskating rink!

  • FrequentPoster

    Maybe the boy mayor can finance this from the tidal wave of revenue coming from his jacking up of street parking rates downtown?

  • poseur

    So confused by this: it’s usually quite full when I park there and I’ve parked there on weekdays, weekends, nights. It may be a little more expensive than street parking, but it’s covered and I don’t need to worry about the meter – just pay as I go. Always been a no-brainer to use it.

    Back on point: how the hell can this thing be losing money?

  • poseur

    So confused by this: it’s usually quite full when I park there and I’ve parked there on weekdays, weekends, nights. It may be a little more expensive than street parking, but it’s covered and I don’t need to worry about the meter – just pay as I go. Always been a no-brainer to use it.

    Back on point: how the hell can this thing be losing money?

  • kk

    This garage has made a fortune for the city for year after year.  It’s only recently that it’s in the red.  Many, many businesses are in the red in the Great Recession (including Metro!).  Also, this garage turned around downtown.  How quickly people forget the empty Frederick & Nelson building (now the Nordstrom flagship store), the empty I. Magnin building, etc., etc.