An analysis found that the city’s real parking demand is around 0.85 spots per housing unit, far less than the 1.5 spaces required under the old zoning code.
Salem, Massachusetts eliminated parking minimums for most new multifamily developments an effort to bring down housing costs and make building multifamily housing more affordable.
According to an article by Andrew Brinker in the Boston Globe, “Officials there hope the move will allow builders to construct new apartment buildings at a lower cost and make more efficient use of the city’s land.”
Under old regulations, builders had to include 1.5 off-street parking spaces for every new unit of housing, leading to an overbuild of parking in Salem. According to a survey by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, “some 38 percent of parking spaces built at a sampling of multifamily housing developments in the city were vacant overnight, when most residents are home.” A similar study showed that 30 percent of parking spots in the Boston area were empty during peak parking hours. MAPC found that the actual demand for parking in Salem is likely around 0.85 parking spaces per unit.
FULL STORY: Salem eliminates parking minimums for new development, in bid to make housing cheaper
Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill
A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.
Boulder Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide
Officials estimate the cost of building a single underground parking space at up to $100,000.
Dallas Considers Nixing Parking Requirements
According to one local official, Dallas projects routinely build 20 to 30 percent more parking than they need, driving up the cost of housing and leading to unsustainable land use patterns.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association