Puyallup Fair parking can be wildest ride of all

It can be seamless or it can send blood pressure soaring. Dan Rollins has seen it both ways.

The 63-year-old Spanaway man easily found a parking spot at the Puyallup Fair early last week. He came around noon on a weekday and didn’t have to shell out $10 for a space in a fair parking lot because he found one on the street.

But, he said, as he headed toward the fairgrounds on the edge of downtown: “I’ve been here at times when it was very bad. It would take 45 minutes to get off the freeway and find a place to park.”

Residents and fair veterans know to expect clogged streets and parking areas during the 17-day fair, which runs through next Sunday. It’s a reality of having one of the largest fairs in the country and the world in your backyard.

On the event’s busiest days – historically the middle weekend, which culminates today, and the final weekend – the fair’s seven parking lots usually fill completely. So do spaces on surrounding streets and in temporary lots that neighbors set up in their yards and driveways.

More than half of the fair’s land is used for parking, and Kent Hojem, the fair’s chief executive officer, said adding more vehicle spaces remains a priority for his organization.

Another emphasis point is helping people get to the fair using other modes of transportation, such as buses. In the future, the fair may build a transit center on site to do exactly that, he said.

Officials also have discussed building a parking structure.

The amount of public parking has remained fairly steady in recent years, officials said, although the fair did gain space for about 200 more cars this year. It bought some property that allowed it to add two acres to its Orange Lot on the west side.

Fair officials said they don’t have a target number of parking spaces they’re trying to reach.

But, Hojem said, when the fair looks to acquire property, “our initial thought is, ‘will that offer us the chance to offer more parking?’”

TRANSIT CRISIS AVERTED

The Puyallup Fair started in 1900 as a three-day event and now draws more than 1 million people during its September run.

This year, officials were worried traffic and parking congestion would be worse than usual because Pierce Transit eliminated its special-event service in a round of cuts.

So far, those fears haven’t been realized, officials said. The fair hired the Cincinnati-based First Student bus company to provide shuttles from four locations in Tacoma, Lakewood and Puyallup, and they’ve been fairly well-used, the fair said.

Over the first seven days of the fair, there were about 17,000 boardings, meaning people riding to or from the fair on one of the buses, said Tracey Wittenfeld, marketing manager.

That’s fewer than was forecast, although “we expected we’d be down some (from Pierce Transit’s numbers) knowing this is such a huge transition,” she said.

The fair’s shuttles cost 50 cents more round-trip than Pierce Transit’s special event service did last year, and they depart from fewer locations.

“This weekend will be interesting to see,” Wittenfeld said. “We’re treating this year as a testing opportunity to (gauge) the response.”

NEIGHBORS FILL GAP

Officials say traffic and parking congestion so far has been comparable to years past.

Some fair neighbors who operate temporary paid parking lots on their property said early last week that their business was a little slow. They expected it to pick up this weekend.

For them, a shortage of official fair parking can be a boon. They use the money they earn from parking cars at their homes for everything from taxes to Christmas gifts, they said.

“We have a very good time. We all get along. You really get to know your neighbors and work together,” said Carmen Anderson, who lives by the fairgrounds.

Groups also use private parking as charitable fundraisers, funneling the money they collect to schools, sports teams or social programs.

It’s unclear exactly how many people operate event parking lots on their property during the fair. The city only requires a special business license for private lots with the capacity to hold 15 or more cars. This year, 26 licenses for fall fair parking were issued.

The private parking lots stretch out several blocks from the fairgrounds in seemingly all directions. In some cases, fairgoers choose them not because they can’t find a spot at the fair, but because they can be a cheaper parking option.

Tiela Wheeler, 23, of Spanaway, said last week that she and her family were driving toward the fair’s Red Gate when they spotted room in a neighborhood parking lot for half the price. Fair parking is $10 weekdays and $12 weekends.

“We saw a sign for $5 and were like, ‘Woo-hoo!” Wheeler said.

Bev Ray, who’s lived by the fair for decades and parks cars at her home, has watched prices rise and the event evolve.

If the fair adds significantly to its parking inventory, Ray said it could hurt her business. But standing on the street, ready to wave vehicles in, she said: “They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do.”

EYES ON THE FUTURE

The Western Washington Fair Association owns 165 acres near downtown, with 66 acres inside the fences where the rides, games, food and entertainment are set up. Most of the rest of the land is used for parking.

The fair has about 9,500 spaces for fairgoers and workers spread out over seven lots. It also has three private lots with about 130 spaces.

Hojem acknowledged the association could capture more revenue by adding more parking. But he said that’s not the impetus for expansion plans.

“The biggest issue is offering parking for people so they can get to the fair more easily. It’s a convenience factor,” he said.

The private, nonprofit fair association runs the fair; the fair’s spokeswoman declined to say how much money parking generates.

The association has an annual budget of about $23 million.

The fair does have some ideas for expansion, although concrete plans aren’t yet in the works, officials said. Hojem said officials are thinking about pushing out the fences on the western side of the grounds, creating perhaps 10 to 15 acres of additional space inside. That could be five to 10 years down the road, he said. The fair also has talked about building a transit center in that area to accommodate buses, vanpools and other mass transit, as well as provide space for drop-offs and pick-ups, he said.

Officials also have discussed someday adding a parking structure on the east side, which is bordered by Meridian, although those facilities are costly and could add to traffic flow concerns, he said.

Adding parking can be a Catch-22 for the fair because the demand is seasonal, officials said.

“It’s 17 days when everyone wants to get here,” said fair spokeswoman Karen LaFlamme. “Then the rest of the year it’s not like that.”

Each year, the fairgrounds plays host to roughly 160 other events, from car shows to antique shows. The Spring Fair, one of the biggest after the fall fair, drew more than 110,000 people during its four-day run in April.

A STEP BACK ON GROWTH

Last year, the fair took steps to rev up its long-term growth planning. It asked the city to have 219 acres designated as “events center,” including 57 acres of private homes and businesses.

People living nearby pushed back, concerned about the effects on their neighborhood and home values. Fair leaders said at the time that they didn’t have immediate expansion plans but were preparing for the future. They eventually withdrew the proposal.

Hojem said the fair now is reflecting on how it should grow. That includes updating its mission statement.

“It’s been gratifying to stop for a moment and think about, ‘What is the core purpose of the Puyallup Fair? Where do we see our value going forward?’” Hojem said. “We’re taking the time to really think clearly about the challenges we face today and also what will be important in the future.”

Sara Schilling: 253-552-7058

sara.schilling@thenewstribune.com

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