M II A II R II K
Senior Member
Ancient zoning rules force developer to overbuild. But reforms could reduce number of empty parking spaces
October 2, 2011
By Jeremy Smerd
Read More: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20111002/REAL_ESTATE/310029977#ixzz1ZpE3XRFf
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Most car-owning New Yorkers live by the dictates of alternate-side parking, anxiously circling for a spot or double-parking until the sweeper makes its rounds. Off the streets and under buildings, however, exists a glut of parking spaces, built not to accommodate demand but to comply with zoning that the city has barely updated since the auto boom more than half a century ago. The result is not just little-used garages in neighborhoods bordered by car-packed curbs, but a policy that seems to be at odds with Mayor Michael Bloomberg's vision of a sustainable city that rationally allocates precious resources and removes barriers to business.
- The Department of City Planning knows its 1950s-era parking requirements are outdated and is preparing to issue recommendations for Manhattan and “inner-ring†neighborhoods, such as those in western Brooklyn and Queens. But transportation advocates worry that reforms will fail to dent what they deem an oversupply of parking at large developments. “We've asserted that limiting parking supply can be a valuable tool to encourage mass transit,†said Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. “[The city's] point of view is people will own cars and drive, no matter what.â€
- The New York City Housing Authority has begun to turn some lots into low-income housing and senior centers, but has retained subsidized parking for residents. Much of the zoning approved in the era of master planner Robert Moses remains intact. The glut can be traced to requirements that for every 10 rental units developers build outside Manhattan, they must provide four parking spaces—sometimes more. A study by New York University's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy found that developers universally build the minimum number of spaces “because they do not think the market supports the required amount of parking,†said Vicki Been, the center's faculty director.
- Parking requirements can head off complaints that projects will make spots harder to find. But too much parking presents its own problems. Garages near the new Yankee Stadium accommodate nearly 9,000 cars but are never more than 60% full. Advocates warned in a 2006 letter to the City Council that it made no sense to increase parking by 75% for a stadium that would have fewer seats than the old venue, as well as a new Metro-North station and, soon, a mall with 2,600 spaces a few blocks away. Low demand has forced the Bronx Parking Development Co. to dip into its reserves to pay off state-issued debt. It is trying to lure a hotel, which would fill more spots. And its executives are praying for a Bronx World Series.
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October 2, 2011
By Jeremy Smerd
Read More: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20111002/REAL_ESTATE/310029977#ixzz1ZpE3XRFf
.....
Most car-owning New Yorkers live by the dictates of alternate-side parking, anxiously circling for a spot or double-parking until the sweeper makes its rounds. Off the streets and under buildings, however, exists a glut of parking spaces, built not to accommodate demand but to comply with zoning that the city has barely updated since the auto boom more than half a century ago. The result is not just little-used garages in neighborhoods bordered by car-packed curbs, but a policy that seems to be at odds with Mayor Michael Bloomberg's vision of a sustainable city that rationally allocates precious resources and removes barriers to business.
- The Department of City Planning knows its 1950s-era parking requirements are outdated and is preparing to issue recommendations for Manhattan and “inner-ring†neighborhoods, such as those in western Brooklyn and Queens. But transportation advocates worry that reforms will fail to dent what they deem an oversupply of parking at large developments. “We've asserted that limiting parking supply can be a valuable tool to encourage mass transit,†said Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. “[The city's] point of view is people will own cars and drive, no matter what.â€
- The New York City Housing Authority has begun to turn some lots into low-income housing and senior centers, but has retained subsidized parking for residents. Much of the zoning approved in the era of master planner Robert Moses remains intact. The glut can be traced to requirements that for every 10 rental units developers build outside Manhattan, they must provide four parking spaces—sometimes more. A study by New York University's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy found that developers universally build the minimum number of spaces “because they do not think the market supports the required amount of parking,†said Vicki Been, the center's faculty director.
- Parking requirements can head off complaints that projects will make spots harder to find. But too much parking presents its own problems. Garages near the new Yankee Stadium accommodate nearly 9,000 cars but are never more than 60% full. Advocates warned in a 2006 letter to the City Council that it made no sense to increase parking by 75% for a stadium that would have fewer seats than the old venue, as well as a new Metro-North station and, soon, a mall with 2,600 spaces a few blocks away. Low demand has forced the Bronx Parking Development Co. to dip into its reserves to pay off state-issued debt. It is trying to lure a hotel, which would fill more spots. And its executives are praying for a Bronx World Series.
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