Christian Decker, CCIM, CPM’s Post

"Daniel Hess, a professor of urban and regional planning at the University at Buffalo, found in a 2021 study that about half of the new developments built since the city eliminated its parking minimums in 2017 have included fewer parking spaces than were previously required. And the study by Sightline found that nearly 70 percent of the housing built in Buffalo after 2017 would have been illegal under the old parking regulations." https://lnkd.in/gdvw6FK6

Parking space or Housing space? The idea of parking has become increasingly controversial with the emergence of the housing crisis in the US. On the one hand, parking is a vital component of urban planning and management because it provides a safe and legal space for people to leave their vehicles. On the other hand, parking uses up valuable land in a city which could be put to better use (like living) and discourages car-free/public transportation. To give a better understanding, the illustration below shows 4 standard parking spaces at the top and a 600 sq. ft. 1 bedroom apartment on the bottom. Within the city of Tampa, each new development constructed must include a proportional amount of parking spaces for the intended use. Do you believe a reduction in parking will alleviate housing issues in a city? This is a cool website which shows the percentage of land dedicated to parking in major cities and dives deeper into parking reform on a whole: https://lnkd.in/eTv4a4qS #urbanplanning #GIS #CAD #parking

Over the past few decades, Bellingham has shifted its policy framework to manage parking more effectively and reduce the oversupply of underutilized surface parking lots. Parking reform supports environmental goals by reducing dependence on vehicles, minimizing impervious surfaces, and mitigating the heat island effect. Bellingham is aiming for a 20% reduction in single-occupancy vehicle use by 2036, but it is not on track to meet this goal. The 2019 Climate Action Plan Task Force recommended policies like creating parking maximums, unbundling parking from rentals and charging separately, increasing the costs to park and increasing parking enforcement— encouraging the City to make alternative transportation modes more convenient and single-occupant vehicle use less convenient. Key initiatives include: 🚗 Fairhaven Parking District, which eliminated on-site parking requirements and introduced paid parking, increasing turnover and availability 🚗 Downtown Plan, which focuses on efficient use of existing parking with public parking structures and metered on-street parking, promoting a walkable urban core 🚗 Old Town Sub Area Plan, which eliminated parking requirements in 2023, sparking renewed development interest . . . #ParkingReform #BellinghamFuture #UrbanPlanning #HousingForBellingham

"Excess parking takes up space in buildings that could otherwise be housing, adds costs that are seldom offset by revenues, and can determine whether certain types of housing projects fit on sites of various sizes." New research in Colorado found that flexible parking requirements led to a 71% increase in housing in transit-oriented areas. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e3kYng7Y

How much land space is dedicated to parking in your town? and how much to housing? and, finally, what is the heat island effect of all that parking? https://lnkd.in/gY-XWEW4

Challenging the Status Quo: Addressing the Role of Parking in Urban Development 🅿️🌆 The dynamics of city planning have evolved since Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are A-Changin' hit the airwaves. Today, we're confronted with pressing issues like climate change, affordable housing, and transportation infrastructure. Yet, amidst these challenges, the role of parking remains a cornerstone of urban development. Join the conversation as we dissect the impact of parking policies on our cities' fabric and advocate for balanced, forward-thinking solutions. #UrbanDevelopment #ParkingPolicy #CityPlanning Read my full article here: https://lnkd.in/g3ykmmRr

Explore the implications of disappearing parking minimums on urban development and housing. Read more to understand this emerging trend in city planning. #UrbanDevelopment #CityPlanning #Multifamily https://lnkd.in/gXnJPEEJ

Dallas Parking Reform. City Plan Commission will hear public speakers on Thursday Dec. 5th. This is item 25. It’ll be a long day. Written comments are always an option if you cannot attend virtually or in person. Send your comments to the CPC members using this link: https://lnkd.in/gtBXbMVt *Tell them you support parking reform and thank them for their service to the city.*    If you missed the 11/21 staff briefing on parking reform, it’s available on YouTube. It’s about 90 minutes.  https://lnkd.in/gWwZ_7gV The agenda, case report, and draft ordinance can be found using this link: https://lnkd.in/gCFbybpa The draft ordinance has substantive changes beginning on page 26 for multifamily loading, then starting again on page 39, so don’t get discouraged that it’s over 70 pages.    What there is to SUPPORT: no parking minimums, simplified loading regs, parking special exceptions will no longer have a percentage limit before it becomes a variance application, no garage door setback from an alley (but still applies to streets). Watch out for: pedestrian pathway requirements within parking lots, residential driveway width limits (especially concerning for duplex and corner lots and when coupled with the upcoming impervious surface code amendment), Traffic Demand Management Plan (TDMP) requirements are still in the works. These items need some debate and fine tuning.

The most transformative updates to New York City’s Zoning Resolution since 1961 are here. The recently approved City of Yes for Housing Opportunity is reshaping how the city grows by incentivizing affordable housing, easing office-to-residential conversions, and eliminating parking mandates in transit-rich areas. Curious about how these changes could impact your property or projects? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eDsskPC5

With Boston facing declining office values and the end of the office building boom that drove a lot of the City’s budget growth over the last two decades, it needs to find new ways to grow. While differences between how NYC and Boston’s tax systems mean not all of these proposals make sense in Boston, the idea of reducing costs for home-builders by eliminating all parking minimums is one idea that Boston could implement.