Research has shown development near transit stations requires less parking than other kinds of development. Yet most engineering guidelines are unclear exactly how much less parking is needed. Oversupply of parking takes up valuable land, raises the cost of development, and misses a key opportunity. Building the right amount of parking can help communities get … Continued
On Friday California Governor Jerry Brown signed into a law a bill that will help create more affordable housing by easing parking requirements for developers.
The legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 744, Planning and Zoning: Density Bonus, will allow developers to request reduced minimum parking requirements within affordable housing projects. It also amends the parking ratio for affordable housing and senior housing to require no more the 0.5 parking spaces per unit, and amends the ratio for special needs housing to require no more than 0.3 parking spaces per unit.
Developers seeking to use these ratios must meet established guidelines regarding percentage of affordable units in the project, distance and access to a transit stop, availability of paratransit services, and access to fixed bus route services. The emphasis on transit access will bolster other efforts to make public transportation and active transportation options safer, more convenient, and more accessible for low-income families.
A road through Līhu’e, HI. Photo by Melissa Emmons via Flickr
The County of Kaua‘i is working to revitalize the Līhu‘e Town Core and position Rice Street as the main street of Kaua‘i. The County’s success, however, largely depends on managing parking in the area. To that end, County officials met in Līhu‘e with representatives from Smart Growth America on May 6 and 7, 2014 as part of a free, grant-funded technical assistance program.
“We are grateful to Smart Growth America for partnering with our team so that we can involve the entire community in this effort,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr. “Creating better parking solutions for the Līhu‘e’s Town Core is important to the revitalization of this area. We’ll use lessons learned and apply them to other parts of our island. It’s a great win-win for all concerned.”
Officials and local residents in Missoula County met with representatives from Smart Growth America on July 23 and 24, 2013 as part of a free, grant-funded technical assistance program. The workshop provided the City and County of Missoula with the tools to implement parking management strategies in Midtown, a section of the city designated as an Urban Redevelopment Area.
“The Missoula Fairgrounds and Midtown Missoula are really excited to start exploring alternative solutions to conventional parking problems,” said Steve Earle, the Missoula Fairgrounds Director. “This part of Missoula holds 160 acres of citizen-owned resources but has not received the attention it deserves for the past twenty years. This workshop will help us plan for the best possible access to this property.”
Far too often, the insanity of minimum parking requirements drive development decisions, to the detriment of just about everyone — a theme best developed by UCLA’s Don Shoup in his terrific book, The High Cost of Free Parking. Another story, as both data point and lesson: Our favorite local micro-brewery gives tours; we went last Friday evening, where we heard a version of this story.