Plan to join this week’s virtual public meeting on parking reform proposals. - Among our posts in the series of PeopleforBikes research-based talking points, this one might seem to go beyond a bicycling advocacy group’s focus. FABB, however, has added its voice as an active participant in Fairfax County’s recent examination of parking reform.
The U.S. has about 2 billion parking spots, which translates to about seven parking spaces for every car. And parking is expensive for new developers to build—it can cost between $40,000 and $60,000 per parking space—increasing housing costs for everyone and taking valuable space away from development.
What’s more, fewer homes have led to a slew of other intersecting issues: a nationwide housing shortage, an increase in home prices, and growing inequity. Lower-income families who drive less and use transit more inevitably end up paying for infrastructure they don’t need while drivers are subsidized for their car use.
When parking is required, buildings are forced to spread further and further apart, decreasing an area’s walkability and leading to urban sprawl, which swallows more and more land to sustain the same population. This in turn pushes people to drive more, upping greenhouse gas emissions, while the ensuing traffic makes it harder for everyone to get where they need to go.
Essentially, America’s glut of free car storage is at the root of a number of societal woes. This makes parking reform key to building bike-friendly communities.
A much better investment than parking is a network of protected bike lanes and trails. Less parking means more proximity—since most people only want to bike one or two miles, the more destinations you have in that radius, the better a place becomes for bicycling. That’s only possible, however, if developers not required to build big parking lots.
FABB has been proud to participate in Fairfax County’s “Parking Reimagined” initiative, the first major overhaul of its parking regulations since 1988. The proposal adds bicycle parking requirements (yay!) and proposes a tiered system for off-street parking better aligned with decreasing parking demand and the need for compact walkable mixed-use communities. This is a great first step to address parking-related problems, but fulfilling the vision means a lot more advocacy work.
There is a virtual open house this week on Thursday, June 29, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm that provides an opportunity to learn more about the proposed requirements. We think the multifamily requirements need to be increased, and this is a good chance to ask the county for a higher requirement.
Parking Reimagined Open House
Thursday, June 29, 2023 from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Virtual Meeting – Zoom
Password: 300093
Call-In Number: 888 270 9936
Conference Code: 928669
Want to help promote better bicycling and help address other societal woes? Join FABB today!
