HomeMy WebLinkAbout05202025 Planning & Zoning Work Session PacketPlanning & Zoning Commission
Work Session Packet
Work Session
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Council Chambers, City Hall
6: OO p.m.
The City of Seward, Alaska
SEWARD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
WORK SESSION AGENDA
May 20, 2025
Carol Griswold
Chair
Term February, 2027
Brenan Hornseth
Vice Chair
Term February, 2028
Nathaniel Charbonneau
Commissioner
Term February, 2027
Vanessa Verhey
Commissioner
Term February, 2026
Clare Sullivan
Commissioner
Term February, 2026
Rhonda Hubbard
Commissioner
Term February, 2028
June Pemberton
Commissioner
Term February, 2028
Daniel Meuninck
Community
Development Director
Courtney Bringhurst
City Planner
Clara Brown
Executive Planning
Assistant
Kris Peck
City Clerk
6:00 p.m.
1) CALL TO ORDER
2) STAFF COMMENTS
3) DISCUSSION ITEMS
a. Training: History of parking minimum requirements
Council Chambers
b. Review and discuss parking requirements in Seward City
Code 5
c. Survey Results (parking related question from Comprehensive Plan
surveys) ......12
d. Cities eliminating parking requirements.. .. ..18
4) ADJOURNMENT
2
OUTCOME GOALS
FOR WORK SESSION
1) Conduct a mini training session to review the history of parking minimum
requirements and the current planning research and data.
2) Review parking requirements in Seward City Code, primarily the ones that
have had concerns voiced by the public
• Parking requirements for hotels
• Parking requirements for multi -family dwellings
• Parking requirements for additional dwelling units
Background:
On the list of priorities approved by City Council for the Planning and Zoning
Commission is a priority to review parking requirements in City Code. This
topic has come up during Conditional Use Permit application reviews by the
Planning and Zoning Commission as well as a side topic in multiple work
sessions. The two primary concerns that have been raised by the public are
that minimum parking requirements restrict the development of hotels and
multi -family dwellings and encumber land that could otherwise be developed
into something more profitable and beneficial to the city. Some citizens,
however, have expressed concerns about not enough parking for certain areas
and uses within Seward.
3
Seward City Code Parking Requirements
15.10.215 Parking.
A. Except in the CB and the HC districts, there shall be provided permanently maintained off-street parking for
each principal business. It shall be the responsibility of the business owner to provide and maintain said off-
street parking in accordance with this chapter continuously during the life of the business.
B. For each principal building or use within a principal building, there shall be no less than the number of off-
street vehicle parking spaces specified under this section:
Land Use
Minimum Number of Parking Spaces
Dwellings and Lodges
Single-family and 2-family dwellings and parish houses
2 parking spaces per dwelling unit
Multiple -family dwellings and other places containing
multiple dwelling units
2 parking spaces per dwelling unit plus 1/2 space for
every unit larger than 2-bedrooms or greater than
1,000 square feet in size
Hotels and motels
1 space per guest unit
Lodging, rooming and boardinghouses
1 space per guest room plus spaces for the principal
dwelling unit
Dwelling, apartment efficiency
1 off-street parking space in addition to those
required of the principal dwelling
Dwelling, studio apartment
1 space per dwelling unit
Institutions and Public Uses
Churches, auditoriums, sports arenas, funeral chapels,
theaters and other places of public assembly
1 space for each 4 seats maximum capacity
Multi -family dwelling, institutional
1 space per unit
Hospitals, group care homes, long term care facilities
and other healthcare facilities
1 space per 2 beds at maximum capacity plus 1 space
for each employee on duty
Dormitories/Bunkhouses
1 space per 4 residents at maximum capacity
Public libraries, museums and art galleries; post
offices; community/senior centers
1 space per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area
Primary and secondary public and private schools
1 parking space for every 4 seats in the main
auditorium or assembly room, or 3 parking spaces for
every classroom plus 1 parking space for each staff
member or employee, whichever is greater
Post -secondary, vocational and music schools; dance
studios and colleges
1/2 parking space for each instructor and 1/2 space for
each student, based upon maximum student capacity
at one time
Day care, nurseries and kindergartens
%2 space for each staff member and employee plus 1
space for each 1,000 square feet of gross floor area
Offices
Office buildings (public and private), professional
center, financial institutions and other similar uses
1 parking space for each 500 square feet of gross
office floor area, but not less than 2 spaces
Office (medical or dental)
Two spaces per treatment room and one for each
doctor, dentist, hygienist or other professional
practitioner on site.
Entertainment and Services
(Supp. No. 29-1)
Created: 2025-02-06 09:49:16 [EST]
Page 1 of 4
5
Skating rink, youth hall, fraternal and civic club,
assembly hall and other similar uses without fixed
seats
Eating and drinking establishment
1 parking space for each 100 square feet of gross floor
area
1 parking space per 200 square feet of gross floor
area, or one for each 4 seats, whichever is greater
Bowling alley
4 parking spaces for each alley plus 1 for each
employee on duty
Commercial
Food store, shopping center and mall
1 parking space for each 300 square feet of gross floor
area but not less than 6 spaces
Barber, beauty and other personal services shop
1 parking space per 100 square feet of gross floor area
Retail store or service business
1 parking space for each 300 square feet of gross floor
area
Service or repair shop; retail store handling exclusively
bulky merchandise such as machinery, furniture,
wholesale stores, appliances, carpet, showrooms, etc.
Motor vehicle sales and service establishment
1 parking space for each 400 square feet of gross floor
area
1 parking space for each 400 square feet of gross sales
floor area plus 4 spaces for each auto service stall
Laundry and dry cleaning establishment
1 parking space for each 500 square feet of gross floor
area, or 1 parking space for each 4 coin -operated
washing machines, dryers or dry cleaning machines,
whichever is greater
Gasoline service station
1 parking space for each 2 gas pumps plus 2 spaces for
each grease rack, wash rack and stall for servicing
vehicles
Industrial
Industrial, processing, manufacturing and assembling
1 parking space for each 500 square feet of gross floor
area except that office space shall provide parking
space as required for offices
Warehousing, storage and wholesale business
1 parking space for each 1500 square feet of gross
floor area, but not less than 3 spaces
Marine Related Uses
Harbor or marina
1 parking space for every 2 established boat stalls or
equivalent berths based on an average boat length of
40 feet and, if a launch ramp is included, a minimum
of 20% of the spaces will be long enough to
accommodate vehicles with boat trailers
Day cruise, charter boat operators licensed for 20 or
more people
1 parking space per 4 people maximum capacity
C. Unlisted uses. The requirements for off-street parking facilities for uses not specifically mentioned in this
section shall be the same as the above -mentioned use which, in the opinion of the administrative official, is
most similar to the use not specifically mentioned.
D. Minimum dimensions of off-street spaces and aisles. The minimum dimensions of spaces and aisles shall be
as follows:
1. Parking spaces shall be at least 9 feet wide and 18 feet long.
2. The minimum width of traffic aisles providing access to parking lot spaces shall be:
(Supp. No. 29-1)
Created: 2025-02-06 09:49:16 [EST]
Page 2 of 4
6
Angle of Parking
(degrees)
One -Way
(feet)
Two -Way
(feet)
Parallel
12
20
30
14
21
45
16
22
60
18
23
90
20
24
E. Location. Subject to (1) and (2) of this subsection, all required parking shall be located on the lot occupied by
the principal use served, or on a lot abutting the lot occupied by the principal use.
1. Required parking may be provided on a lot that is not occupied or abutting the principal use, provided
that (i) there is a pedestrian route not longer than 600 feet to the lot occupied by the principal use, or
(ii) access is provided by a scheduled shuttle service or a valet parking attendant.
2. Required parking may be located on a lot not occupied by the principal use served only if (i) parking is a
permitted or conditional use in the zoning district for the lot, and (ii) the lot is made subject to a
recorded agreement among its owner, the owner of the lot occupied by the principal use and the City
that the required parking will be maintained for the benefit of the principal use served for the life of
that use.
F. Site plan. A site plan showing all parking areas shall accompany all applications for building permits. Said plan
shall show dimensions of spaces, curb cuts and other information necessary to determine compliance with
the provisions of this section. The administrative official shall approve or reject the site plan on the basis of
compliance with the requirements of this section. No building permit shall be issued until the parking site
plan is approved.
G. Street access. All off-street vehicle parking facilities shall be designed with appropriate means of access to
street, alley or other right-of-way, and will have adequate maneuvering area. No driveway or curb cuts in any
district shall be less than 12 feet or more than 35 feet in width. Detailed plans for all curb cuts shall be
submitted to the administrative official for approval before a building permit is issued.
H. Parking lots. Every lot or parcel of land used as a public or private parking area shall be developed as follows,
subject to the approval of the plans by the administrative official:
1. Lighting of all parking areas shall be arranged to reflect away from adjacent residential areas and all
public streets and highways;
2. All parking spaces and lots shall be durably surfaced, free of mud and standing water, and be dust free;
3. Where such area adjoins the side of a lot in any residential district, it shall be separated from such lot
by a fence or hedge not less than 4 feet or more than 6 feet in height. Such fence or hedge shall be
maintained in good condition and shall not extend beyond front yard lines required in such residential
district;
4. All parking (except that serving single-family and duplex residences) shall be so arranged that ingress
and egress are possible without backing over a sidewalk, sidewalk area, or onto a street of collector or
larger designation; and
5. Turning and maneuvering space (except that which services single-family and duplex residences) shall
be located entirely on private property, provided that the usable portion of an alley may be credited as
aisle space subject to safety approval by the City engineer.
I. Dual use of lots. Two or more buildings or uses may collectively provide the required off-street parking, in
which case the required number of parking spaces shall not be less than the sum of the requirements for the
(Supp. No. 29-1)
Created: 2025-02-06 09:49:16 [EST]
Page 3 of 4
7
several individual uses computed separately. In the instance of dual function of off-street parking where
operating hours of uses do not overlap, the planning and zoning commission may, by conditional use permit,
reduce the required parking to any amount that meets the requirements of each use.
J. Computation of numbers of spaces. In figuring the total parking requirements for a use, any fraction of % or
more shall require one more space.
K. Reduction of spaces. No existing parking area and no parking area provided for the purpose of complying
with the provisions of this section shall, after adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter, be
relinquished or reduced in any manner below the requirements of this section.
L. Uses of parking areas. Required parking areas and spaces shall not be used for sales display, storage, repair
work or any other purposes other than parking. All vehicles in custody of an operator of a business for
service, repair, storage, sale, or other purpose shall be stored on the premises or on a separate vehicle
parking lot and shall not be parked on a public right-of-way.
M. Location on property. Parking spaces shall be permitted in any required yard area provided that within the
residential districts no parking space shall be permitted within five feet of any side property line.
N. Intersection with public street. At the intersection of any private drive or entrance or exit for a common
parking area with a public street, no fence, wall, hedge, or other planting or structure forming a material
impediment to visibility between a height of 2% feet and eight feet shall be erected, planted, placed or
maintained, and no vehicle so impeding visibility shall be parked within triangular area defined by lines
connecting points as follows:
Beginning at the point where the midline of the private drive or entrance or exit for a common parking
area intersects the public right-of-way to a point 35 feet along the right-of-way line in the direction of
the nearer lane of approaching traffic, thence to a point 25 feet toward the interior of the property
along the previously described midline, and thence to point of beginning.
0. Accessible parking requirements. All parking shall comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
P. Group use of lots. Where more than one tenant or use is included within any one building or on any one lot,
the parking requirements shall be the sum total of the parking requirements for all of the various tenants or
uses provided, however, that:
1. The aggregation of tenants or uses shall meet all the requirements within the definition of "shopping
center" in order to become entitled to utilize the parking ratio specified in section 15.10.215(B).
2. Where a hotel or motel has other principal uses such as restaurants, bar and meeting rooms located on
its premises, the principal use requiring the greatest amount of parking shall provide 100 percent of
the required parking spaces and the other uses shall provide, in addition, at least 70 percent of the
parking spaces which would be required if these were stand-alone uses.
3. Where a convenience store includes a self-service gas station, the required parking shall be determined
by the parking ratio specified in section 15.10.215(b). No additional parking spaces will be required for
gasoline service station.
(Ord. 626, § 3, 1989; Ord. 93-06; Ord. 94-17; Ord. 96-02; Ord. 96-13; Ord. 98-06; Ord. 98-09, § 2; Ord. No. 99-13, §
1, 1999; Ord. 99-16, § 4, 1999; Ord. No. 2006-007, § 1, 9-7-2006; Ord. No. 2013-001, § 1, 1-28-2013; Ord. No. 2018-
004, § 1)
(Supp. No. 29-1)
Created: 2025-02-06 09:49:16 [EST]
Page 4 of 4
8
Comparison of Parking Code
from 1989 to 20255
See Ordinance 1989-626 for full list of original parking requirements
9
Land Use
1989 Required Parking
2025 Required Parking
Single-family
2 parking spaces
2 parking spaces
No change
Multiple
family
2 parking spaces per
dwelling unit plus 1/2
space for every unit
larger than 2-bedrooms
or greater than 1000
square feet in size
2 parking spaces per
dwelling unit plus 1/2 space
for every unit larger than
2-bedrooms or greater than
1000 square feet in size
No change
Hotels and
motels
1 and 2/10ths spaces per
guest unit
1 space per guest unit
Bed and
Breakfast,
rooming, and
boarding
houses
1 space per guest room
plus spaces for the
principal dwelling unit
1 space per guest room
plus spaces for the
principal dwelling unit
No change
Dormitories
and other
similar
institutions
1 space per 2 residents at
maximum capacity
1 space per 4 residents at
maximum capacity
(dormitories/bunkhouses)
Office
buildings
1 parking space for each
250 square feet of gross
floor area, but not less
than 5 spaces
1 parking space for each
500 square feet of gross
office floor area, but not
less than 2 spaces
Eating and
drinking
establishments
1 parking space per 200
square feet of gross floor
area, or one for each 4
seats, whichever is
greater
1 parking space per 200
square feet of gross floor
area, or one for each 4
seats, whichever is greater
No change
Retail store
1 parking space for each
300 square feet of gross
floor area
1 parking space for each
300 square feet of gross
floor area
No change
Food store,
shopping
center
1 parking space for each
250 square feet of gross
floor area, but not less
than 6 spaces
1 parking space for each
300 square feet of gross
floor area, but not less than
6 spaces
10
Parking Question Survey Results
• What concerns do you have regarding parking in the City of Seward? Column Bar
I have no concerns
Lack of parking in business areas
Lack of parking in residential areas
Underutilized parking lots on land that could otherwise be
developed
Lack of regulated parking
Too much regulated parking
Other (please specify)
Hide table
Answers
I have no concerns
Lack of parking in business areas
Lack of parking in residential areas
0
Count
39
67
11
Underutilized parking lots on land that could otherwise be developed 52
Lack of regulated parking
Too much regulated parking
Other p]ease specify}
13
45
34
50 100
Empty categories 14 Sort
Percentage
36.63%
27.57%
4.53%
21.4%
7.41 %
18.52%
13.99%
12
Other Concerns Regarding Parking in Seward:
You need to reinvest all that money into the community. It's not right that it sits in your savings
account.
You don't not abide by laws with public bids. Seems metco and other companies are in the back
pocket of public works.
Year round residents, especially those who work inside the city limits should be given free parking
passes.
Year round residents shouldn't have to pay for parking
Year round residents should park for free/discount during the summer in paid lots through a sticker
system.
Year round residents having to pay to park during tourist season is ridiculous
Where is it actually not okay to park for more than 2 hours?
We talk about lack of parking spaces yet that is only a summer time issue. Lots for parking instead of
development. Downtown restrictions should be lifted to maximize real estate
The Harbor Area is totally congested in the summer.
Stop charging locals for parking, and up charge all the tourists and out of towners
Size restrictions for parking along 4th Ave- large campers and truck campers should not be parking in
the pull -in spaces along 4th Ave
Regulated parking is poorly done. Space is not effectively utilized, and paid parking has not created
more parking!
Please remove the poorly drawn parking spaces in the city. They do not use space efficiently. People
can figure out how to parallel park within designated areas.
Parking is getting really limited in the Harbor. as an employee it is hard for me to find parking
sometimes.
Ordinances requiring parking spaces for some businesses and areas is excessive
No vehicle
Need more parking oustside of town so residents have a place to park we support all of the
busisness here during the winter but when summer comes we cant even find a place to park unless
we are walking a distance or we are paying
13
More parking needed at the library
Lack of parking in the harbor
Lack of parking at the Jeep Trail and Bear Mountain
Just because they are tourist doesn't mean you can't give them tickets. I see too many motorhomes
and vehicles parked where they should not be parked. Tourist or not they need to be ticketed.
Im concerned seasonal business will purchase viable land for another unneeded parking lot
I park wherever I want.. there is no parking laws
I own a business downtown and the on street parking is always taken up by sea life center people
and their guests...the sealife center parking lot is always half empty...totally BS
I believe our codes mandate more parking spaces per entity or new development than necessary.
Harbor
Dont tear down the old railroad area next to Harbor 360 for parking! :(
Charging locals for parking through summer months even with paid permit passes.
Build some 2-3 story parking garages in the harbor.
Boat owners do not have easy access to parking when their boats are moored.
Boat Harbor parking in the summer for employees is a big concern. After purchasing a seasonal
parking pass, the parking lots were still full, and there was nowhere to park
Areas that add to the personality of Seward being bulldozed for a new parking lot.
14
• I would support more regulated parking (meters / limited hours) in congested areas. Column gar Pie Map
Disagree
Agree
Neutral
0 50 100 150
Hide table Empty categories Sart
Answers
Count Percentage
Disagree
Agree
Neutral
134
63
38
55.14%
25.93%
15.64%
Answered: 235 Skipped: 8
15
• Which modes of transportation do you use the most to get around Seward? Column Bar
250
200
150
100
50
0
Walking
Hide table
Bike / Scooter... Personal Veh ic...
Shuttle f Taxi Other (please ...
✓ Empty categories Sort
Answers
Count Percentage
Walking
12 8 52.67%
Bike / Scooter! Skateboard, etc. (electric or manual)I)
68 27.98%
Personal Vehicle (gas or electric)
226 93%
Shuttle / Taxi
10 4.12%
Dther (please specify)
4 0%
Answered: 241 Skipped: 2
16
Cities Eliminating Parking Requirements
Changes to Title 21 I Parking Requirements
EFFECTIVE JANUARY 23, 2023
0n November 22, 2022, the Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to eliminate parking minimum
requirements in all areas of the municipality and add requirements for bicycle parking through the
adoption of AO 2022-80(S), As Amended.
Starting in 2023, Title 21 no longer requires developments
to provide a minimum number of parking spaces.
As a result, developments in the Municipality are no longer required to provide a minimum number of off-
street parking spaces and developers will decide how many parking spaces to include on each site.
Crafted by sponsors in partnership with the Municipality of
Anchorage Planning Department with the Anchorage 2040
Land Use Plan in mind, the ordinance aims to make an impact
towards these outcomes:
• Make it more affordable to build housing and commercial
development in Anchorage
• Give designers and developers increased flexibility
• Simplify proposed changes to Title 21
• Encourage adaptive re -use of vacant properties
• Prioritize the creation of connected public spaces over empty
swaths of pavement
• Help accommodate non -motorized, multimodal travel
Impact to ADA Parking
The approved ordinance
reaffirmed the
municipality's commitment
to accessibility.
While general parking
minimums are eliminated,
Title 21 now requires more
accessible spaces when
surface parking is provided.
Off-street parking minimums and driveway access standards are often the costliest and most land -
consuming zoning requirements for multi -unit housing, mixed -use, and business developments.
This ordinance will not take away our existing parking, but will help our community plan smarter, more
affordable housing and commercial developments in the future.
Assembly Member Kevin Cross
District 21 Chugiak / Eagle River
lil
Learn about the Anchorage 2040 Plan: ancgov.info/anc2040
Explore upcoming and proposed changes to Title 21: ancgov.info/title21-reform
18
www.muni.org/assembly
JANUARY 2023
Changes to Title 21 I Parking Requirements
EFFECTIVE JANUARY 23, 2023
The approved changes to Title 21 represent a step forward in streamlining municipal regulatory
processes, cutting development costs and making it easier than ever for everyone to get around.
Parking in Anchorage won't change overnight; these changes do not require require property owners to
make any changes to existing spaces and include incremental policy changes that will take effect in
the coming years.
CHANGES AT A GLANCE
Parking Policy
Regulation
Takes Effect
Description
Minimum Off -Street
Parking Requirements
21.07.090A E
2023
Completely removes off-street parking
requirements throughout the Municipality.
Maximum Allowed Parking
21.07.090E.2
2023
Bases the maximum allowed number of parking
spaces on the size of the building.
Alternative Transportation
Amenities
21.07.090F
2024
Establishes a menu of alternative
transportation amenities that developers can
choose from for larger developments.
Accessible (ADA)
Parking Spaces
21.07.090J
2023
Increases the ratio of accessible spaces (ADA
parking) when parking is provided.
Bicycle Parking
Requirements
21.07.090K
2024
Requires bike parking for all uses throughout
the Municipality and creates design standards.
Surface parking lots have become a large portion of our city's total land area as the city's footprint
continues to grow, leaving more of our land covered in asphalt without a benefit to our community.
These changes will reduce barriers for housing development, preserve green spaces and support
cyclists and pedestrians.
Assembly Member Daniel Volland
District 1 I North Anchorage
W
Learn about the Anchorage 2040 Plan: ancgov.info/anc2040
Explore upcoming and proposed changes to Title 21: ancgov.info/title21-reform
19
www.muni.org/assembly
JANUARY 2023
F' 2LY NEWSvl
—Pt-ay
Radio
L. . cN LIVE I
PLAYLIST I
n p
NATIONAL
DONATE
From Austin to Anchorage, U.S. cities opt to ditch their off-
street parking minimums
JANUARY 2, 2024 • 5:01 AM ET
HEARD ON ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
Laurel Wamsley
3-Minute Listen
Download
PLAYLIST
20
Austin, Texas, is the country's largest city to toss out its requirements for off-street car parking. The city hopes
removing the mandates will encourage other modes of transportation and help housing affordability.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
The city council in Austin, Texas recently proposed something that could seem
like political Kryptonite: getting rid of parking minimums.
Those are the rules that dictate how much off-street parking developers must
provide — as in, a certain number of spaces for every apartment and business.
Around the country, cities are throwing out their own parking requirements —
hoping to end up with less parking, more affordable housing, better transit, and
walkable neighborhoods.
Some Austinites were against tossing the rules.
'Austin has developed as a low density city without adequate mass transportation
system," said resident Malcolm Yeatts. "Austin citizens cannot give up their cars.
Eliminating adequate parking for residents will only increase the flight of the
middle class and businesses to the suburbs."
CONSIDER THIS FROM NPR
How Parking Explains Everything
But much more numerous were voices in support of eliminating the minimums and
the impact they've had on housing costs, congestion, and walkability.
"I think our country has used its land wastefully, like a drunk lottery winner that's
squandered their newfound wealth," said resident Tai Hovanky. "We literally paved
paradise and put up a parking lot."
The amendment sailed through the council — making Austin the biggest city in the
country to eliminate its parking mandates citywide.
Dozens of cities have ditched parking minimums
But it's not just Austin. More than 50 other cities and towns have thrown out their
21
minimums, from Anchorage, Alaska, and San Jose, Calif., to Gainesville, Fla.
"They're all just dead weight," says Tony Jordan, the president of the Parking
Reform Network, of parking minimums. One issue is just how arbitrary they can
be.
Take bowling alleys. Jordan says the number of required parking spots per bowling
lane could vary anywhere from two to five, in cities right next to each other.
"What's the difference between a bowler in city A and city B? Nothing. It's just
these codes were put in ... very arbitrarily back 30 or 40 years ago and they're
very hard to change because anytime the city wants to change them, there's a
whole big hoopla," he says.
4//////// /////1
\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\ \
//// /I/ / //7// //////////
/ /, /14 //// /1/////////
San Francisco is one of many U.S. cities that has thrown out its parking minimums in recent years.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Random as these rules can be, they have major consequences: Parking creates
sprawl and makes neighborhoods less walkable. Asphalt traps heat and creates
runoff. And parking minimums can add major costs to building new housing: a
single space in a parking structure can cost $50,000 or more.
22
One 2017 study found that including garage parking increased the rent of a
housing unit by about 17 percent.
AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
Why the U.S. builds more three -car garages than one -bedroom apartments
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The real problem, says Jordan, is what doesn't get built: "The housing that could
have gone in that space or the housing that wasn't built because the developer
couldn't put enough parking. ... So we just lose housing in exchange for having
convenient places to store cars."
A move to let the market decide
Austin City Council member Zo Qadri was the lead sponsor on the resolution to
remove parking mandates there. He emphasizes that getting rid of parking
mandates isn't the same thing as getting rid of parking: "It simply lets the market
and individual property owners decide what levels of parking are appropriate or
needed."
Austin removed parking requirements for its downtown area a decade ago, "and
the market has still provided plenty of parking in the vast majority of the projects
since then," says Qadri.
A new survey from Pew Charitable Trusts found that 62% of Americans support
property owners and builders to make decisions about the number of off-street
parking spaces, instead of local governments.
Angela Greco, a 36-year-old musician and copywriter in Austin, is one of them.
She drives, but prefers to walk or take transit. She's not worried that doing away
with the old rules will make it too hard to find a place to park.
"I've lived in like cities where it's way more difficult, like New York and L.A.,"
Greco says. "Parking just isn't that difficult in Austin to me to begin with, even in
23
really dense areas."
Many cities hope that ditching their parking requirements will make their neighborhoods more amenable to
biking and walking. People are seen biking and walking along Park Avenue near Grand Central Station during the
Summer Streets initiative in New York City in August 2022.
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images
She says the question of whether the city invests in transit and walkability, or
doubles down on cars, is decisive in whether she'll live in Austin long-term.
"Like if it doesn't seem like the public transit's going to get better, and if it seems
like the highway expansion is going to happen, then I'm probably going to start
looking for where else I can live. ... It's a major factor in my life and my happiness.
Like sometimes I'm driving on the road and I'll be in traffic or something or even
just on the highway, and it's such an ugly landscape;" Greco says. "And then I'll
think: this isn't really how I want to spend my adult life."
Too much parking can hinder effective transit
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What about the idea that cities without good transit can't cut back on parking?
Jonathan Levine, a professor of urban and regional planning at the University of
Michigan who studies transportation policy reform, says cities' parking minimums
can make good transit nearly impossible to develop.
"An area that has a lot of parking is transit -hostile territory," he says.
He explains why: When people take transit, they complete their journey by walking
to their destination. A sea of parking at the destination makes that walk longer,
and it makes the physical environment less appealing to those on foot.
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"Who wants to walk by a bunch of parking lots to get to your destination?" Levine
notes.
And having tons of parking encourages driving. "If you have parking everywhere
that you're going, that parking essentially is calling to the drivers, drive here! Park
here! ... So if you keep on designing those areas by governmental mandate, you're
creating areas that transit can't serve effectively," says Levine.
Many more U.S. cities — including New York City, Milwaukee, and Dallas — are
exploring getting rid of their parking minimums too. Duluth, Minn., lifted its
parking mandates in December.
Levine says getting rid of these rules is good news for cities.
"It's a huge drag on housing affordability. And it's a huge impediment for cities
fulfilling their destiny, which is enabling human interaction. Because what parking
does is it separates land uses, separates people. It makes cities have a much more
sprawling physical profile than they otherwise would have."
austin, texas parking urban planning land use
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