Off-Street Parking Mandates Hinder Housing Affordability & Deter Developers

Progressive Communities Reject Off-Street Parking Minimums

Everyone is talking about the lack of reasonably priced apartments and starter homes, the lack of affordable housing options (in both the legal meaning of “affordable” and practical sense of housing costs be reasonable), and the constraints imposed by local zoning and building codes, and use and bulk tables that discourage the creation of housing alternatives.

One big reason for the chronic housing shortage is so-called “home rule” where state governments have ceded control to local officials who run their towns like private clubs. Efforts in New York to create statewide mandates for alternatives like Accessory Dwelling Units (secondary living units generally on single family lots) or to upend single family zoning are routinely thought of as hills local politicians need to die on, rather than open their communities to more housing options and greater density.

One arrow in the local suburban and small-town government quivers to maintain the so-called “suburban character” (also sometimes known as exclusionary zoning) is off-street parking requirements – a mandate that every home, apartment, office and commercial development have a certain minimum number of off-street parking places – necessary or otherwise - to meet zoning codes.

For example, in the town where I live, the local government has created and is trying to promote a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in walking proximity to a Main Street, a commuter train to NYC, several shopping plazas, gourmet grocers, coffee shops, etc. – what seems like an ideal location for reasonably priced apartment rentals or even affordable housing.

Problem is, the recently-written Town Code requires two off-street parking spaces for every one-bedroom apartment unit, as well as 25% green lot coverage. With land and buildable lots at an all-time cost premium, requiring unnecessary off-street parking creates a financial burden on developers that frankly makes the projects in the TOD impractical. And, despite years spent creating and promoting the TOD, not one single project in my Town’s TOD has been advanced there. No shovels in the ground. No pending planning board applications. Just lots of vacant lots and under-utilized land in close proximity to our local commuter train platform.

The whole point of creating a transit oriented development is to attract residents who are largely commuters, who will walk to the Main Street and shop in the local stores with minimal use of a car. Somehow this point was lost on the local government. And, a proposal to reduce the parking requirement to 1.5 cars per unit was soundly rejected by both the local Planning Board and Town Council.

Recognizing the impediment that onerous off-street parking requirements create, some localities in New York State have taken a page from our friends on the West Coast. In California, legislation recently passed that eliminates off street parking mandates for housing and commercial developments near public transportation.

Under California’s new law, scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, California cities can no longer impose minimum parking requirements on new developments within a half-mile of public transit. Developers can decide on their own and weigh the costs of adding parking to their projects.

Parking Reform Network, an online site for resources on parking mandates, has estimated the material cost per parking space can run from $10,000 to as much as $60,000, depending on the city, which adds up when building apartments or condominiums.

In New York, progressive villages and municipal governments are starting to realize the burden their off-street parking requirements have created, and the negative impact on housing, especially affordable housing.

For example, the City of Buffalo does not require a minimum number of off-street parking spaces for any of its land uses. A Transportation Demand Management Plan is required for new construction (5,000 square feet or more) that determines the number of on-street, off-street, and shared vehicle parking spaces.

The Village of Port Chester has eliminated off-street parking requirements in its Main Street Business District, except for cabarets, theaters and event spaces which have parking requirements specific to their uses.

Canandaigua, NY has no provisions establishing a minimum number of off-street parking spaces for development. However, certain development proposals (new construction over 5,000sf and renovations over 50,000sf that contemplate a change of use) are required to complete a parking demand analysis, which will assist in determining if off-street parking spaces are required, and how many.

The Village of Saranac Lake, which has a form of hybrid form-based zoning, has no minimum parking requirements anywhere in the Village, including in its business districts. New non-single family dwelling developments have design standards for parking areas, but no fixed minimums.

The City of Ithaca does not require any off-street parking in its downtown Central Business District, the West End, Cherry Street District, Newman District, Market District or Mixed-Use Districts.

And, the City of Schenectady's zoning code does not have a minimum parking requirement for commercial properties in the downtown area. In fact, it has parking maximums and allows shared parking where adjacent land uses have different hours of operation.

These are just a few examples, but the movement is growing and hopefully other communities, including the suburbs around metropolitan areas will realize that rigid minimum off street parking standards hinder the ability of developers to provide affordable, reasonably priced townhomes and apartments for their residents.

Some local municipalities have buyout provisions where a developer can buy its way out of providing the minimum number of spaces. The buyout is usually discretionary with the local Planning Board, and the buyout option does little or nothing to reduce the costs of providing affordable residences.

Unreasonable off-street parking minimums are a problem easily addressed and remedied, particularly in Central Business Districts and in residential areas in proximity to Transit Oriented Developments.

It just takes a progressive mindset to change local codes.

Read also… Culver City Abolishes Parking Requirements Citywide – Streetsblog Los Angeles