Mukilteo to visitors: Pitch in for Lighthouse parking

Out-of-town visitors will have to pay to enjoy Lighthouse Park starting this summer.

The Mukilteo City Council recently approved the installation of parking meters at the popular waterfront park. Residents of Mukilteo will not have to pay.

“The residents of Mukilteo help pay for Lighthouse Park and the waterfront via property taxes,” said Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson. “This is a way for visitors to also invest in what appears to be a really popular place to visit.”

Visitors will pay $2 an hour to park May through September. There will be a four-hour limit, but visitors can just add more time when it expires.

Metered parking follows concerns over the busy waterfront. During the summer – and really any time the sun is out – the parking lot fills up. There is not a lot of off-street parking options in the area either. Gregerson said park-goers spend a lot of time circling the lot, waiting for a parking stall.

“There are definitely some parking lot wars that happen down there,” Gregerson said.

Under the old rule, the only regulation for the lot was no overnight parking. There used to be a problem with Whidbey Island commuters using the lot for personal parking. The no overnight rule will remain in place, Gregerson said.

At some point in the fall, the mayor and city council will assess the parking rates, Gregerson said. They will determine if people continued to visit the park, despite having to pay, or if people stopped visiting.

“We’re committed to having paid parking, but we’re not experts,” Gregerson said.

If visitors can’t find parking, there is always the option of taking the bus from other areas of the city, she said.