The Virginia city is replete with underused off-street parking lots, which city councilors hope to make available for parking at more times while encouraging transit use.
Richmond, Virginia joined the growing list of cities to repeal parking minimums as one strategy for making housing more affordable and less costly to build, reports Elizabeth McGowan in Next City.
The move was, surprisingly, approved unanimously by the city’s Planning Commission and city council. City Councilor Andreas Addison, who has been a staunch supporter of repealing parking requirements, points out that there is plenty of parking space in the city, it’s just often designated for one single use, making it obsolete the rest of the time. “When that data was presented, I realized we don’t have a parking problem,” said Addison, “We have a lack-of-access-to-parking problem.”
Addison “envisions the new measure will ‘reinvent paved space’ by introducing the concept of shared parking in off-street lots. Before, those spaces could only be used for the particular purpose laid out in the zoning code.”
Meanwhile, the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) is still offering free rides on its buses and opened a high-capacity bus rapid transit line five years ago. “Addison is hopeful Richmond’s decision to scale back on parking lots can be a model for other Virginia cities intent on reshaping how people move around.”
FULL STORY: Richmond Scraps Parking Space Rules In An Effort To Curb Transportation Emissions
Richmond Poised to Repeal Parking Minimums
The city’s planning commission recommended that the city council eliminate parking mandates that limit housing production and increase housing costs.
How Banks Perpetuate Overbuilt Parking
Even as cities and states are reducing or eliminating parking requirements, lenders often require parking to release loans to developers.
Oregon’s Under-the-Radar Parking Revolution
Thanks to parking reforms at the state level, Oregon cities are rapidly eliminating parking requirements, paving the way for more affordable housing construction and higher density.
‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland
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Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny
The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah
A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.
More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus
Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.
Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says
Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.
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