Plans to expand and upgrade Union Station in D.C. might have gone overboard with parking, according to the public comments on the project's draft Environmental Impact Statement.
Plans to give Union Station in Washington, D.C. a multi-billion dollar upgrade are caught up in a controversy over parking, according to an article by Alex Holt.
"A growing number of organizations, neighborhood groups, and public officials have expressed concerns over just how many parking spaces the station needs," reports Holt. "Many leaders see a reduction in parking as leaning into a transportation future that is less car-dependent."
The parking criticisms have emerged during extended public comment for the project's draft Environmental Impact Statement, completed by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is leading planning of the project.
In a year, 37 million people use Union Station to access Amtrak, Metrorail, Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC), and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) rail systems, as well as intercity and local bus services, the DC Streetcar, and for-hire vehicles. The proposed upgrades would target platforms, passenger bottlenecks, and make other expansions to accommodate expected ridership growth, according to Holt.
Read the full story: Planners and business groups blast Union Station plans for having too much parking
Union Station Redesign Gets a Placemaking Do Over
Criticisms of a draft plan to revamp D.C.'s Union Station have described the proposal as far too concerned with car storage.
Six-Story Parking Lot Nixed From D.C. Union Station Renovation Plans
The Federal Railroad Administration has removed a six-story parking facility included in a 2020 draft Environmental Impact Statement for a $10 billion renovation of Union Station in Washington, D.C.
Key Virginia Rail Bridge Project Completes Environmental Review
A $1.9 billion project to add a second set of rail tracks to the Long Bridge that connects Virginia to D.C. is ready to move forward with a recently completed Environmental Impact Statement.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
Satanic place names
From streams and lakes to valleys and canyons, I mapped more than 1,000 places named after the Devil.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority