On September 30, the Seattle Department of Transportation published draft recommendations that would add paid parking to the busiest blocks of Queen Anne Avenue N. Meters would run from W Galer Street to McGraw Street on both sides, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. SDOT last reviewed parking on Upper Queen Anne in 2008. The draft is SDOT's answer to a business district that has grown busier. At the north end of the proposed zone, the century-old building on the McGraw corner is about to bring in more shoppers.
What the April Counts Found
SDOT counted parked cars on Thursday, April 23, 2026. On that day, about 80% of blocks were mostly or very full between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Between 5 and 8 p.m., most of the streets studied were more than 86% full. The baseline is 2022. Compared with that year, demand for street parking on Upper Queen Anne went up, and it grew most in the morning and early afternoon. Busy evenings are nothing new on the Ave. A Tuesday morning that fills up like a Friday evening is the newer pattern.
Most people don't drive to the Ave. SDOT interviewed more than 340 people on the street in April, and most of them had arrived on foot, by bike or by transit. In the summer outreach, 44% of residents said they usually walk to the business district. Businesses see it differently. In SDOT's September outreach summary, 76% of businesses said parking is hard for their customers, 61% said customers often complain about it, and 51% said loading is difficult. SDOT's project page reports the first two figures as 61% and 63%. The figures vary by document, but every version has a majority of businesses saying their customers have trouble parking.
The Draft, Block by Block
The plan targets the blocks closest to Queen Anne Avenue and leaves the streets around them free with time limits. The proposed setup:
| Block | Proposed rule, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mon to Sat |
|---|---|
| Queen Anne Ave N, W Galer St to McGraw St, both sides | Paid |
| Boston St, Queen Anne Ave N to 1st Ave N, both sides | Paid |
| Boston St, Queen Anne Ave N to the alley just west of 1st Ave W, both sides | Paid |
| Crockett St, Queen Anne Ave N to 1st Ave N, both sides | Paid |
| W Galer St, Queen Anne Ave N to 1st Ave W | Free, time-limited |
| 1st Ave N, Boston St to Crockett St | Free, time-limited |
| Howe St, 1st Ave W to Queen Anne Ave N | Free, time-limited |
| Blaine St, north side, Queen Anne Ave N to the alley west of 1st Ave N | Free, time-limited |
| Garfield St, south side, Queen Anne Ave N to 1st Ave N | Free, time-limited |
The starting rates would be $1 an hour from 8 to 11 a.m. and $4 an hour from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with a two-hour limit on paid blocks. SDOT says it would check occupancy two to three times a year and change rates in 50-cent steps. The goal is one or two open spaces on every block. Meter revenue would go to the City's general fund. SDOT's FAQ says rates are set to match demand, not to raise money.
The $1 morning rate lines up with the study. Mornings grew the most since 2022, and SDOT priced them at a quarter of the afternoon rate.
The North End of the Zone Is the Busiest Corner
The proposed meters stop at McGraw Street. The building on that corner, 2401 Queen Anne Ave N, has turned over almost completely in a year.
B&E Meats & Seafood was a longtime tenant of the building and announced its closure in 2025. The Daily Journal of Commerce reported in March 2026 that "no more meat cleavers will be swinging in the century-old building." Earlier this year, McCarthy & Schiering closed its Queen Anne shop in the same building, at 2401B. Its Ravenna store is still open.
The wine space did not stay empty long. Legacy Wine Co. held its grand opening and ribbon cutting on September 5. The partners are Mark Shipley and Tom Lether, who owns the building. Dan Schieffer, who managed the Queen Anne store for years, runs the retail side. Shipley worked part-time at McCarthy & Schiering for about three years. He told the Northwest Wine Report in August, "Our goal isn't to recreate McCarthy & Schiering. That chapter belongs to Dan, Jay, and everyone who built it." The new shop plans more events and programming than the old one, adds online sales, and may pour wine by the glass. It is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Next comes a grocer. Kitchen & Market plans to open its sixth store at W McGraw Street and Queen Anne Avenue N in early 2027. The Puget Sound Business Journal reported a February target, but the company has not confirmed a firmer date. The store will sell chef-prepared meal kits at $45 to $65 for two to four servings, along with grab-and-go food and produce. Founder Stephanie King described the idea as "if Dean & Deluca and Trader Joe's made a Blue Apron baby." The chain opened in Pike Place Market in 2021 and has since added Mercer Island, Medina, Yarrow Bay and Eastlake. According to the Emerald City Wire, Queen Anne is its first new store since 2024. No published source names the exact space. Earlier in 2026, the building's roughly 2,926-square-foot retail space was marketed as a former longtime butcher shop, which suggests the grocer is taking B&E's old space.
A grocer that sells quick-trip meal kits brings exactly the short stops and deliveries that SDOT's load zones are designed for. It is scheduled to open in the same months SDOT plans to install the changes.
What Would Stay Free
Several parts of the draft change nothing for people who walk to the Ave, park on side streets, or run a quick errand:
- Parking on the paid blocks stays free overnight, on Sundays, and on City holidays.
- The free nearby blocks keep their two-hour limits, which would now run until 8 p.m.
- New load zones would come in 5-, 15- and 30-minute versions, and the five-minute zones would be free.
- New accessible spaces for people with disabilities would allow four hours of free parking.
- Neither the published draft nor the FAQ mentions residential parking zone boundaries or permits.
The plan also adds bike and scooter parking and keeps the curb clear near crosswalks so people walking, biking and driving can see each other.
Where to Weigh In, and What Fills the Ave This Month
Everything above is still a draft. SDOT says it will meet with businesses, organizations and residents this fall, revise the plan over the winter, and install any changes in 2027. Its schedule says early 2027. The Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce summarized the plan on October 4 and expects it to be final in late 2026. Neither SDOT nor the Chamber has published a comment deadline. The comment form on SDOT's project page is open now.
The easiest way to talk with SDOT in person is Thursday, October 8. SDOT staff will be at a table at the Queen Anne Farmers Market from 3 to 7 p.m. to talk about projects in the neighborhood. That is also the last day of the market's regular Thursday season, at West Crockett Street and Queen Anne Ave N. The market comes back for Saturday harvest markets on October 31 and November 21, both from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The market sits on Crockett, one of the side streets SDOT proposes to meter.
October 31 is the busiest day on the fall calendar. After the harvest market closes, Trick or Treat on the Ave runs from 3:30 to 6 p.m. The Seattle Thrillers perform at 4:45 p.m. at Queen Anne Towne Square, 1920 Queen Anne Ave, and a costume contest follows. Downhill, the free DÃa de Muertos Festival Seattle fills the Armory Food & Event Hall at Seattle Center on October 31 and November 1. If you'd rather celebrate on your own block, SDOT is issuing free Trick-or-Streets permits for block parties held between October 21 and November 2. Applications are due October 20.
None of the proposed changes take effect on October 31. Under SDOT's current schedule, any new meters would go in during 2027.
Parking and curb access affect what a home near the Ave is like to live in, and the Galer-to-McGraw plan will change the daily routine on those blocks. If you own near Queen Anne Avenue and want to talk through what the meters, load zones and the new grocer could mean for your block, Henry Shim Group is glad to look at it with you. Book a Free Consultation.
