Opponents to a proposal to eliminate parking minimums in certain areas of D.C. have been heard. In order to smooth approval of the city's massive zoning overhaul, planners will reduce minimums in some areas rather than eliminate them.
No sooner had D.C. planners been lauded for their efforts to push through progressive parking reform than the political winds turned against them. Mike DeBonis reports on the announcement late last week by Harriet Tregoning, director of the Office of Planning, that the city has chosen to rollback efforts to abolish parking minimums in some areas due to community opposition. "Tregoning disclosed the change during an interview Friday on WAMU-FM, where she acknowledged she had got 'a lot of feedback' about the parking changes. 'It’s certainly in response to what we’ve heard from a lot of people,' she said."
"In a subsequent interview, Tregoning said the planning office still intended to pursue elimination of parking minimums downtown and in fast-growing, close-in neighborhoods such as the Southwest Waterfront and NoMa," adds DeBonis. "But in other areas eyed for the change, she said, the minimums would be 'substantially' reduced rather than eliminated entirely."
In Greater Greater Washington, David Alpert argues that "[t]his change isn't the right policy; it's just a political choice."
FULL STORY: D.C. planners drop proposal to end minimum parking rule for developers

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
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