Chances are that if you drive to EvCC, you probably hate parking.

Because of this, EvCC students often suggest the idea of a parking garage as a solution to the current problems we have with parking on campus.

It might sound like a feasible solution, but it’s not as easy as it seems. To finance a parking garage and the maintenance that comes with it, students would have to pay over $150 per quarter per parking pass according to Patrick Sisneros, Vice President of College Services. Parking permits currently cost most students $45.

It’s also not possible to branch out into the residential area surrounding the campus. “The neighbors don’t like that,” and they get frustrated with students parking in residential areas, according to Sisneros.

And while the frustration with parking is understandable, students who claim that there is no available parking on campus should expand their search. Sisneros said that there are, “typically available spaces in Lot L and Lot K,” across Broadway, even at peak periods.

“We have almost 1,000 spaces across the street,” said Sisneros. The problem is that students just don’t want to walk that far to get to their classes.

According to Sisneros, there are approximately 4,300 parking passes sold in any given quarter, though only about 2,000 parking spaces total. This amount of parking spaces is currently sufficient because not all 4,300 students are on campus at the same time. By selling more bus passes, however, it will alleviate the pressure on parking spaces around campus.

Sisneros doesn’t think that more parking is the solution to the parking problem.

“The best plan to eliminate stress around parking is to (sell) 1,000-1,100 ORCA bus passes,” he says. The ORCA bus pass supplied by EvCC grants unlimited access to all Everett Transit and Community Transit bus lines.

EvCC currently sells about 750 bus passes per quarter.

“The average student saves $150-200 per quarter from the ORCA bus pass. We put $200,000 in the ORCA program a year,” Sisneros said. “The reality is that parking in the future is going to be further away from the campus.”

It is just not practical to invest more money into parking as the campus continues to grow. To Sisneros, it makes more sense to invest in the ORCA bus pass program.

Parking on campus brings some risks, as well. In the past 11 months, there have been 22 car break-ins on campus. “That’s very low, (especially) for a campus of our size,” said Chuck Macklin, Director of Campus Safety and Security. Most of those break-ins are in lots H,
K, and J.

As it stands, your best option is to buy a bus permit. It is easy to park at the bus stop and take the bus to school, and your time spent walking will be about the same.