Two recent articles indicate that city planners and officials are reexamining parking requirements for new developments.
The Boston Globe, reporting on a recent survey of parking garages and lots dedicated to apartment buildings in the Boston area, highlighted the finding that about 30% of spaces were vacant in the wee hours of the morning.
Buildings with easy subway or commuter rail access to job centers, or those with more affordable housing, tended to have more empty spaces, the report says. When new projects are proposed, neighborhood residents are concerned about losing on-street parking to newcomers, so they tend to push for robust parking requirements.
In recent years, though, cities have begun to ease parking requirements. Boston, for instance, generally requires less parking at buildings in its denser neighborhoods, and close to public transit stations. The City of Santa Monica, Calif., has eliminated parking requirements on new development downtown, according to a GlobeSt report. The result is a more walkable shopping district that provides retailers and restaurants with more buildable space.
Related Stories
| Nov 26, 2012
Changes in development and building standards needed for health of Potomac River
The Potomac River’s health stands to suffer if the region does not change its development and building standards, according to the Potomac Conservancy.
| Nov 16, 2012
South Dakota prefers LEED over building code on state projects
“(LEED is) much better than a mandatory building code because you get a little wiggle room in these projects,” said Mike Mueller, a spokesman for the South Dakota Bureau of Administration.
| Nov 16, 2012
AAMA publishes quality assurance guidelines for Polyamide Thermal Barriers
The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) has published QAG-2-12, Voluntary Quality Assurance Processing Guide for Polyamide Thermal Barriers.
| Nov 16, 2012
New ANSI/BIFMA standards developed for educational seating
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has approved the newly developed safety and performance standard for educational seating: ANSI/BIFMA X6.1-2012—the first of its kind.
| Nov 16, 2012
Green building councils in 62 countries expect 60% of their work to be green by 2015
More than half of the respondents to a survey of members of the Green Building Council in 62 countries expect green projects to comprise 60% of their work by 2015.
| Nov 16, 2012
Voters approve fewer construction ballot measures in 2012 than in 2008
Voters passed fewer ballot measures related to construction projects this year than they did in 2008, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.
