“The buildings I had identified as being perpetually and perhaps permanently unusable were very quickly purchased, redeveloped, and are in use right now” https://t.co/YD0bUjkHUY
— Sightline Institute (@Sightline) February 22, 2022
Very interesting report on Fayetteville’s decision to stop setting parking space minimums for business in 2015.
This article proclaims the practice a success.
Striking the section of zoning code that detailed how many parking spots each business was required to provide created new opportunities for local entrepreneurs. The ordinance, which left maximum parking ratios in place, did not spur a frenzy of redevelopment, nor did it bring a malady of parking complaints and plummeting home values, as the city attorney had warned.
City Planner Quin Thompson said buildings that sat vacant because of parking restrictions have been redeveloped.
These commercial buildings that sat vacant for years had a similar profile: older buildings on smaller lots, often near downtown. In one case after another, it turned out that the key issue was parking—specifically the minimum number of parking spots required. It was possible for a property owner to get planning permission to reduce the amount of parking required, but people seldom tried.
Now, six years after the mandates were lifted, those addresses have rejoined Fayetteville’s thriving economy.
Food for thought here in Little Rock. Particularly the part about maximum parking limits. The state never should have built that giant parking deck to serve the DHS building on Main Street. The idea, apparently, was to make sure state employees never have to set foot on the soil of Little Rock. And what about that fenced-off open space where Stephens Inc. razed historic buildings to create more parking three years ago? Could it be that remote workers have reduced the need for parking?
We have parking galore downtown and empty office space galore, too.
Parking is more problematic in, for example, the Hillcrest and Heights shopping districts. But it doesn’t seem to discourage thriving businesses. The absence of acres of asphalt might even contribute positively to the ambiance.
