Business owners in West Seattle are voicing serious concerns about a combined RV safe parking lot and tiny house village planned to open soon as part of the city’s homelessness response.
The Low Income Housing Institute plans to operate the site at 7201 Second Ave. SW, a vacant Washington State Department of Transportation property known as the Glassyard site. The proposal calls for up to 72 recreational vehicles and 20 tiny homes, along with a common kitchen, hygiene and laundry facilities, case management, and supportive services.
Several businesses along West Marginal Way SW have raised concerns about the location, citing longstanding problems with theft, vandalism, and unsanctioned encampments in the area. Alan Bridgman, owner of Northwest Custom Interiors, said he already sees RVs line up along the street in front of his building, impeding access for employees and customers. He has hired private security to patrol several times a night to prevent vandalism and tampering. “We’ve also had thefts during the day,” Bridgman said.
Bridgman is concerned these problems will be magnified by the RV safe lot. “It’s pretty concerning that everything that is over in SODO and the other parts of Seattle are going to be concentrated down here,” he said. LIHI Executive Director Sharon Lee said staff will manage and oversee the safe lot 24/7. “We really want to explain the operations. I know there are questions about how it will be staffed, who is going to run it, and how will people continue to live in their RVs,” Lee said.
RV owners who enter the program will be encouraged to surrender their vehicles and move into a tiny home. Residents will have access to a kitchen, hygiene facilities, running water, and case management. Those living there will be required to abide by a code of conduct that prohibits criminal behavior and drug use in public areas. Lee Forte, who owns Pacific Rim Equipment Rental, said the limited sidewalks, minimal bus service, and lack of grocery stores make the area a bad fit for a residential community and potentially dangerous for pedestrians.
LIHI previously operated Salmon Bay Village, an RV safe lot in Seattle’s Interbay neighborhood that opened in December 2023 and closed in May 2025. During its operation, 87 people received assistance, and 60% of participants who exited the program secured housing. “That’s a very, very high rate of success,” Lee said. The surrendered RVs were decommissioned and sent to the scrapyard.
LIHI plans to hold a community meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at New Direction Missionary Baptist Church at 755 S Homer Street in Seattle. Once the RV lot begins operations, an advisory committee will hold monthly meetings that neighbors and business owners can join. LIHI hopes to open the site before Seattle hosts World Cup matches in June.
