7A - Discussion, Parking Requirements

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Parking Management:Strategies, Evaluation and Planning r Victoria Transport Policy Institute Examples t Below are three illustrative examples of parking management programs. I Reducing Building Development Costs A mixed-use building is being constructed in an urban or suburban area that will contain 100 housing units and 10,000 square feet of commercial space. By conventional standards this requires 200 parking spaces (1.6 spaces per housing unit plus 4 spaces per F 1,000 square feet of commercial space), costing from$2 million for surface parking (about 9%of the total development costs),up to$6 million for underground parking (about 25%of total development costs). However,because the building is in a relatively �a accessible location(on a street that has sidewalks,with retail business and public transit x services located nearby)and onstreet parking is available nearby to accommodate occasional overflows,the building owners argue that a lower standard should be applied, such as 1.2 parking spaces per housing unit and 3 spaces per 1,000 square feet of commercial space,reducing total requirements to 150 spaces. To further reduce parking requirements the developer proposes the following: • Unbundle parking,so parking spaces are rented separately from building space.For example,rather than paying$1,000 per month for an apartment with two parking spaces renters pay$800 per month for the apartment and$100 per month for each parking space. This typically reduces parking requirements by 20%. • Encourage businesses to implement commute trip reduction programs for their employees,including cashing out free parking(employees are offered$50 per month if they don't use a parking space).This typically reduces automobile commuting by 20%. • Regulate the most convenient parking spaces to favor higher-priority uses,including ' delivery vehicles and short errands,and handicapped users. • Include four carshare vehicles in the building.Each typically substitutes for 5 personal vehicles,reducing 4 parking spaces. • Incorporate excellent walking facilities,including sidewalk upgrades if needed to allow convenient access to nearby destinations,overflow parking facilities and transit stops. • Incorporate bicycle parking and changing facilities into the building. • Provide information to resident,employees and visitors about transit,rideshare and taxi services,bicycling facilities,and overflow parking options. • Develop a contingency-based overflow parking plan that indicates where is available nearby if on-site facilities are full,and how and spillover impacts will be addressed.For example,identify where additional parking spaces can be rented if needed. This management program allows total parking requirements to be reduced to 100 spaces, providing$100,000 to$500,000 in annualized parking facility capital and operating cost savings(compared with$20,000450,000 in additional expenses for implementing these strategies), as well as providing improved options to users and reduced vehicle traffic. 4