A rise in permit applications after recent changes to parking requirements shows how parking mandates stifle new residential development and raise the cost of housing.
Minimum parking requirements have, for decades, hampered residential development in New York City, argues Sophia Lebowitz in Streetsblog NYC. “The average cost of building an underground parking space in the city is $67,500, according to the planning department. The city is filled with examples of developers under-building in order not to have to build costly parking.”
Even in neighborhoods zoned to encourage apartments, requirements to provide one parking spot per unit have prevented the development of more missing middle housing, which is unfeasible on many smaller lots. “A 2022 report from the Regional Plan Association found that removing parking mandates for affordable housing resulted in 36-percent more affordable units annually in the transit zone between 2016 and 2020.”
Now, the city’s new City of Yes zoning reform package could change that. “One of the main goals of City of Yes is to re-introduce the ‘missing middle’ housing to R1-R5 districts by allowing bigger buildings near transit, mixed use town-center zoning, accessory dwelling units, and getting rid of parking mandates.”
FULL STORY: City of Yes: Parking Mandates Have Shaped New York … For Worse
NYC Zoning Reform: Where Will It Have an Impact?
The zoning reform package dubbed ‘City of Yes’ will likely yield uneven results, with many of the lowest-density neighborhoods exempted from new regulations.
Lawsuit Aims to Stop NYC’s ‘City of Yes’ Zoning Reforms
A lawsuit brought by local lawmakers and community groups claims the plan failed to conduct a comprehensive environmental review.
Opinion: Why Environmentalists Should Support NYC ‘City of Yes’ Zoning Reform
The housing-oriented component of Mayor Eric Adams’ City of Yes proposal could serve the double purpose of making housing more affordable and reducing GHG emissions and car dependency.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access
A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.
Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills
Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.
Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units
Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service