Pierce Transit owns and manages Tacoma Dome Station, the region’s largest transit hub that serves people who park and ride the many transit services available at that location. Parking at Tacoma Dome Station fills up very early on weekdays, and usage of the facility is at near-capacity. Parking at Tacoma Dome Station is free.
In an effort to better manage demand, give transit riders another option and line up with what other transit agencies are beginning to offer at their own Park & Rides, Pierce Transit is proposing a plan to offer optional, reserved parking in a limited portion of the facility. Under the proposal:
- Permits would be optional.
- There would be 200 reserved parking spots (150 for single-occupancy vehicles and 50 for high-occupancy vehicles, including Vanpool vans), totaling about 8.4 percent of the available 2,400 spots.
Those parking without a permit could:
- Use the reserved spots for free after 8 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends (except during special events); and
- Continue parking in one of the 2,200 non-reserved spots for free on a first-come, first-served basis as they are today.
Those purchasing a permit would need to have at least 12 verified transit trips per month on a bus, vanpool or Sounder train. For HOV, at least two passengers in the group must meet this threshold. Proposed pricing would be as follows:
- HOV: Free for 2+ riders arriving together; riders must have ORCA card;
- SOV: $80/month; must have ORCA card; and
- ORCA LIFT SOV: $27/month with ORCA LIFT card.
- The Pierce Transit CEO would be authorized to manage demand and waitlists by modifying the percentage of reserved stalls and/or adjusting rates as needed.
Benefits of offering a reserved parking option include giving transit riders a reliable place to park; improving transit operations by more evenly spreading out demand for space on transit trips throughout the morning rush hour; encouraging ride sharing by offering a free, reserved parking spot for high-occupancy vehicles with two or more riders arriving together; making parking resources more efficient by better managing demand; and meeting the goal of implementing a regional parking strategy.
On Monday, March 11 Pierce Transit is holding a public hearing on the proposed plan to offer optional, reserved parking at Tacoma Dome Station. The hearing will be part of the Pierce Transit Board of Commissioners’ meeting that begins at 4 p.m. in the Pierce Transit Training Center, 3720 – 96th St. SW, Lakewood. Registered SHUTTLE customers may obtain specialized transportation to and from the hearing by calling SHUTTLE at (253) 581-8000, option 2, at least one day in advance of the hearing.
The public may also weigh in by visiting PierceTransit.org/permit-parking and offering their feedback online. The Pierce Transit Board could make a decision on the plan as early April 8, when it next meets.
About Tacoma Dome Station
- The region’s largest parking garage and multimodal hub, built in two phases (1997, 2000)
- Owned by Pierce Transit
- Approximately 2,400 parking spots in two attached garages (north and south)
- There is currently no charge to park
- At 94 percent parking capacity by 7 a.m. on weekdays
- Historically, 78 percent of Tacoma Dome Station parkers have been Sound Transit customers
- Recent survey shows 85 percent of Tacoma Dome Station users are Pierce Transit residents
Tacoma Dome Station is served by:
- Pierce Transit local routes
- Intercity Transit routes
- Sound Transit Express buses
- Link Light Rail into downtown Tacoma
- The Sounder South commuter train
- Amtrak trains
- Greyhound buses