Parking Policy Fundamentals

Rail~Volution 2012Oct 15, 2012

Valerie KnepperMetropolitan

Transportation Commission

MTC.ca.gov/planning/parking

Series of choices:

we can’t have it all everywhere!

a. Easy parking vs compact development

b. Free parking vs cost recovery / management

c. Cheaper parking vs cheaper housing

d. Requirements vs developers/employer choice

e. Employee parking for all vs TDM programs

1. Why do parking policies matter?

a. Impact on urban form?

b. Impact on housing costs?

c. Environmental concerns/ GHGs?

d. Economic impacts?

e. Equity?

f. All of the above?

g. None of the above?

2. When were most American parking policies developed?

a. 1900’s - 10’s

b. 1920’s - 30’s

c. 1950’s - 60’s

d. 1980’s - 90’s

3. Who sets parking requirements?

a. The owner/developer of the land

b. The future tenants (buyers/renters)

c. The city council or staff

d. The neighborhood residents

e. Transportation engineers

4. Demand for Parking

a. Four spaces per house

b. One space per employee

c. Five spaces per bowling alley lane

d. Ten spaces per 1,000 sq ft for restaurants

e. All of the above

f. None of the above

What does DEMAND mean?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~“Of course there’s not enough parking!

If you gave away free pizza, would there ever be enough pizza?!” Andres Duany

You must have two beers for every 1,000 calories you

eat.

Why do we tell people how much parking they “need”?

5. How much parking do developers want to produce?

a. More than the city requires

b. Less than the city requires

c. About the same as the city requires

Typical Pre-WWII Building: Great Infill!

7,500 sq. ft., “zero lot line”

Illustration: MDA Johnson Favaro Architecture & Urban Design

100% efficiency

“By-Right” Restaurant Building:

1,665 sq. ft. (improvements)

16 stalls (10 per 1,000 sq. ft.)

Illustration: MDA Johnson Favaro Architecture & Urban Design

22%efficiency

Convenience Store Strip Mall

Auto Service Drug Store

6. The Cost of Building Parking Structures

How much do parking spaces in structures typically cost, capital funds only, per space:

Above ground / Underground

a. $5,000 / $10,000

b. $10,000 / $20,000

c. $30,000 / $60,000

Urban Parking Structure$30,000

Construction cost per space

$350-$400

Monthly cost per space

HOME

STATION

Could be a

5 Minute Walk

No Access

HOME

STATION

Instead, it is a

50-Minute Walk

7. Pricing on-street & off-street parking

a. On-street parking should be cheaper

b. Off-street parking (e.g. structures) should be cheaper

c. They should be the same price

8. Employee Parking

Parking requirements for employees:

a. Employers decide about how much parking to provide, depending on location & travel choices available

b. Employees pay for the parking they want

c. Cities require that employers provide specific amounts of parking for employees (per employee or sq ft by use)

More Space for Cars than People

Office 12’ x 9’

cubicles less (e.g. 6’ by 7’Parking 18’ x 9’

+ lots of maneuvering

9. Which of these can be useful in managing parking demand?

a. Reduced/no city minimums in downtowns/centers

b. Unbundling residential parking

c. Shared parking

d. Pricing on and off street

e. Carshare

f. Cash-out of employee parking / CBO

g. Bike sharing/pedestrian amenities

h. Universal transit passes

i. All of the above

10. The Future?

The younger generation of “Millennials” (currently ~20-34) own cars at a rate compared with “Boomers” (currently ~55-70) when they were their age:

a. About the same

b. Much higher

c. Significantly lower

Transportation and the New Generation

Why Young People Are Driving Less

and What It Means for Transportation Policy

There is a market for TOD with less parking

What is MTC doing?

• MTC Smart Parking Toolbox – process, strategies, examples

• Model with sharing, pricing, transit, etc.

• Support for local analysis, case studies

• Technical analyses, workshops (June 2012

• Videos on line

• AB 904 workshop

• Major new study of pricing strategies about to begin

http://www.mtc.ca.gov/planning/parking

Parking policy lessons learned?

• Parking is a strategy, not a goal

• Parking is a component of land use & access, a resource to be managed, economic consequences

• Support goals by meeting market demand while minimizing negative impacts

• Pricing is the most powerful management tool

• Consider role of alternative modes; walking and biking are cheap, transit can be very efficient

• Empower individuals, developers, businesses and communities to explore creative approaches

MTC.ca.gov/planning/parking