Parking

Parking standards can have a significant affect on housing affordability as well as on the ability to achieve designated densities. Too often, parking standards fail to take into account the real vehicle ownership rates and use patterns of the development’s prospective residents, resulting in excessive onsite parking. Excessive parking requirements reduce the number of units that can be provided in the development, add to the per-unit costs, encourage automobile use, and reduce the potential for other site and building amenities. They can also have a significant impact on building design and perceived density, making a relatively low-density development appear to be much higher density and resulting in large portions of the site being covered in asphalt rather than in landscaping or other amenities. Lastly, because parking construction costs are passed on as a housing cost, tenants are forced to pay for a parking space (or even two spaces) whether the spaces are used or not.

Benefits

• Reduces construction costs, especially when spread out over many units.
• Supports community design goals by reducing the perceived density of housing developments and minimizing the site area devoted to parking areas, which are generally considered unattractive and unsafe.
• Potentially supports transit use by removing a hidden subsidy for automobile users.

During the Housing Element Process...

• Form a Task Force. Although parking is closely related to design issues such as setbacks, height, and bulk, it may be useful to assemble a task force to just review parking requirements. The task force should include jurisdictional staff from departments responsible for housing, planning, and transportation; residential and commercial architects; business owners; community representatives; and, if available, parking and transportation experts. Wide participation helps to frame the issues, evaluate solutions, and generate a positive community attitude toward the recommendations.
• Review Parking Requirements. All parking requirements should be reviewed to determine if they are reasonable in light of contemporary development patterns, automobile ownership rates, and driving habits.
• Review Data on Parking Utilization. Take into consideration recent studies on the factors that impact vehicle ownership rates (e.g., income, age, access to transit, etc.). If possible, collect data on actual parking utilization in various types of developments in the local area (e.g., for affordable housing developments, senior developments, and in various neighborhood areas served by transit). Compare this data with existing parking requirements.

Potential Programs and Actions

• Reduce Parking Requirements for Affordable Housing. Parking requirements should be reduced for housing units that will remain permanently affordable in proportion with the level of affordability achieved. These reductions should be built in to development regulations rather than negotiated in the project review.
• Reduce Parking Requirements for Special Needs Populations. Parking requirements should be reduced, if appropriate, for housing designs serving certain types of inhabitants, such as students, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.
• Reduce Parking Requirements for Certain Housing Types. Parking requirements may be reduced for certain types of development, such as mixed-use and live-work centers, because the residents have less of a need to own an automobile.
• Vary Requirements According to Transit Access and Other Area-Specific Factors. Parking requirements should be reduced for residential development near transit access points. Parking requirements may also need to be varied by neighborhood as well as type of use. For example, senior developments in centrally located areas that are well-served by transit and close to shopping may have significantly reduced parking requirements. Reductions should be built into the development regulations rather than negotiated at the project review stage.
• Promote Shared Parking. Shared parking provisions are especially useful in mixed-use developments and areas. They should be clear and easy to administer. The provisions should not be subject to any discretionary review.
• Encourage Common Parking. Parking in dense areas, such as downtowns and in already built-out areas is best provided on an area basis rather than as a part of each project. Impact fees for parking and parking districts are ways of financing this type of parking.
• Establish a Car-Sharing Program. Car-sharing is an innovative mobility service that makes vehicles available to people on a per-use basis. Car-sharing provides a way to dramatically reduce the number of cars in an urban area and supports a practical shift away from over-dependency on automobiles.
• Allow More Parking on Streets. If more on-street parking is allowed, the need for off-street parking is reduced. Parallel and angle parking can have multiple benefits of reducing the need for off-street parking, making the streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and encouraging increased pedestrian use of the sidewalks. On-street parking is more acceptable if it is well managed.
• Encourage Flexibility and Innovation. Encourage parking solutions that respond to site-specific and area-specific parking concerns. For example, encourage the use of transportation models to predict future parking needs for proposed developments or develop “landscape reserves” that can be converted to parking in the future if needed.
• Encourage Ongoing Monitoring and Data Collection. Monitor the actual parking usage in developments with and without reductions in parking requirements or other special parking provisions to help identify successful local parking solutions and workable parking standards.
• Provide Community Information. As in nearly every aspect of affordable housing, a pro-active program of community education and participation can help build local support for reduced parking requirements. Information should be developed to help residents understand the trade-offs involved, including the impact of building design, housing cost, and potential site amenities.