Spokane removed all 45 downtown parking spaces under viaduct

May 11-Spokane city officials have removed 45 parking spaces under the downtown railroad viaduct in a bid to improve visibility and reduce loitering and camping - but it came as a surprise for the group representing downtown businesses that lost access to the parking.

Any downtown underpass that still had parking between Division and Cedar has had them removed. White lines outlining spaces were painted black and the meters taken off poles that remain standing in case parking is reinstated .

The city hasn't analyzed the possible loss in revenue, largely because the removed meters don't keep good data, said Jon Snyder, director of transportation and sustainability for the city, at a Monday committee meeting.

"The police department identified viaducts as an area of concern, and part of the solution was to remove some of the parking under the BNSF Railway viaducts ... to make it easier for them to do enforcement and to handle some of the downtown issues," Snyder said.

It's not the first time the city has attempted to remove the homeless populations seeking shelter under the viaduct. In 2022, for instance, former Mayor Nadine Woodward oversaw the installation of large chain -link fences along sidewalks under the Browne Street viaduct underpass, leaving just enough room for pedestrians to get through but not enough for people to lay down.

That fencing was removed in early 2024, shortly after Mayor Lisa Brown came into office.

The new administration has worked for the last two years to address safety concerns under the viaduct, city spokeswoman Erin Hut wrote in a Monday text.

Police cleared the Browne Street viaduct underpass in January under an October law pushing for stricter enforcement of homelessness laws. The Spokane Police Department also was asked to analyze strategies to combat crime through environmental design, "and a consistent recommendation was to remove existing parking stalls to improve visibility and accessibility, and deter criminal activity" that vehicles could obscure.

"The viaducts are a unique and challenging architectural feature of our downtown because they are owned and maintained by BNSF and the city is limited in our ability to alter the infrastructure," Hut said.

The public only learned about the removal Monday after the parking spaces had been removed the week prior. Councilman Michael Cathcart told Snyder he had been getting "an earful" from businesses surprised at the change. Snyder noted the Spokane police was the primary agency behind the recommendation.

Police officials were not available for comment Monday.

"My understanding is that came from discussions with DSP and downtown folks about safety and camping concerns," Snyder said.

Downtown Spokane Partnership President and CEO Emilie Cameron said Monday that her organization only learned of the change as the spaces were being removed and hadn't gotten a response from the city when inquiring about the timeline for removal.

"While we understand there are concerns related to safety and visibility when cars are parked in these areas, businesses are also concerned about the loss of customer and employee parking access," Cameron wrote. "We hope the city will work with impacted businesses to identify alternative parking solutions that help address those concerns."

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 11:42 PM.