A new database from the Oakland-based Transform group maps and tracks unused parking spaces in multifamily housing developments.
Transform is an Oakland-based advocacy group pushing for better land use and transportation policies. The organization sampled 68 multifamily housing development parking structures throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, varying in location types. Sites were counted late-night, mid-week, when residential parking lots would be at their fullest.
The intuitively mapped database provides information "about the number of parking spaces per unit, how much of that parking sits empty, what percentage of the building is affordable housing, whether residents pay for parking separately from their rent, what level of transit service is available nearby, whether residents are offered transit passes or carshare membership, what if any parking management exists on surrounding streets, and other data relevant to parking usage," writes Melanie Curry for Streetsblog.
Todd Litman [a Planetizen blogger] of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute calculated construction costs for parking spots, which "[f]or surface spaces, the cost for each one is around $20,000; garages and structures cost $50,000 per space; underground spaces can cost $80,000 per space."
Transform found that across the 68 sites in their GreenTrip Parking Database, "on average 31 percent of the spaces go unused. That’s 867,900 square feet of space that cost an estimated $139 million to build. No wonder parking is a major contributor to the costs of building affordable housing, as identified in a new report [PDF] from four state agencies, including the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Housing Finance Agency."
FULL STORY: New CA Database Shows How Much Parking Costs and How Little It’s Used
Counties Outside of Bay Area Eye Transportation Mega Measure in 2020
Northern San Joaquin Valley transit officials are eying a $100 billion Bay Area transportation measure to potentially fund a $1 billion rail tunnel for two commuter railroads to bring workers to the East Bay and Silicon Valley.
Study: There's Too Much Parking in Chicago
With underground parking spaces costing $37,000 and more to build in Chicago, it might come as a shock that a recent study found much more parking supply than demand around the city's apartment buildings.
Parking 'Surplus' Poses Problems For Brooklyn
Too much parking and too much transit creates a glut of unneeded parking. Of course, this is by design - that is, zoning design, where Downtown Brooklyn developers are required to accommodate new residents of their new buildings with large garages.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
EV Infrastructure Booming in Suburbs, Cities Lag Behind
A lack of access to charging infrastructure is holding back EV adoption in many US cities.
Seattle Road Safety Advocates Say Transportation Levy Perpetuates Car-Centric Status Quo
Critics of a proposed $1.3 billion transportation levy say the package isn’t enough to keep up with inflation and rising costs and fails to support a shift away from car-oriented infrastructure.
Appeals Court: California Emissions Standards Upheld
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, the nation's two most powerful environmental regulatory agencies, won an important round in federal court last week. But the emissions standards battle may not be over.
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