Paid parking coming to this popular Capitol Hill stretch in Seattle

Park 'em while you got 'em along this popular stretch of Seattle's Capitol Hill. Paid and timed parking is coming soon.

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Two-hour paid parking is coming to the commercial corridor of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood along 15th Avenue East and 16th Avenue East from Denny Way to Mercer Street. The corridor features a range of shops, restaurants, bars, doctors' offices, new housing, and a grocery store.

Paid parking will be enforced from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

• 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. is 50 cents per hour
• 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. is $2 per hour

Signage and new pay stations are expected to be up and running by the end of October.

Not every space will be converted to paid parking. SDOT also plans to add a variety of loading zones, disabled parking, car share spots, and spaces for street cafe seating.

The Seattle Department of Transportation argues the change is needed because the area has experienced an increase in residents and visitors who need parking. The department claims the new system will free up more parking spaces, more often.

A study in January concluded that 90% of spaces were filled most of the day in this area. It was at more than 100% capacity over the afternoons. Cars were parked for more than two hours in 16% of spaces, and three hours in 9% of spaces — despite current two-hour limits.

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SDOT's approach to managing parking relies on raising and lowering rates, with the belief that drivers will drive away more often, opening spaces for others.