Craig Yannes, Tighe & Bond

The Goldilocks dilemma...how much parking is just right?  The question of the right amount of parking plagues real estate developers trying to create attractive, walkable developments while maximizing square footage and minimizing development costs.  In urban areas where space is limited, the real cost of parking goes well beyond construction: it occupies valuable real estate.  As the new urbanist development trend intensifies, developers, municipalities, planners, and engineers need creative solutions to the parking supply conundrum to help cultivate attractive, dense urban centers.  So, how do you right size parking supply for your development?

This article builds upon the NEREJ article, “The Incredible Shrinking Parking Field and Outparcel Development,” published last fall by Philip Hastings of Cleveland, Waters, and Bass, P.A. in Concord, N.H.  It details the progressive trend toward lower parking requirements, and the flexibility weaving its way into many municipalities.  Parking supply regulations can be overstated, and municipalities are becoming more open to reducing regulatory standards provided the final product supplies sufficient parking to meet anticipated demand.  To take that previous article to the next level, this article details implementable strategies that can be used to justify flexibility in parking supply requirements.

First and most importantly, parking data from existing land uses is a developer’s best asset to enable flexible application of local regulations.  Parking utilization data from developments with similar characteristics to those proposed provide the most accurate parking demand estimates, yet some developers neither track nor make this information available.  Similar to financial metrics, parking utilization at existing facilities can be easily monitored to confirm actual demand.  A modest initial investment could lead to large gains by maximizing building potential on several future projects, as opposed to collecting parking data in conjunction with each new site.

Similar to gathering parking data at existing facilities, local and national parking demand information can project future parking demand for proposed developments.  Additionally, collecting parking data at similar local developments, or utilizing data presented in previous development applications, can offer a cost effective approach to support a reduction in regulatory parking requirements.  Furthermore, parking industry publications, such as the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ “Parking Generation” and Urban Land Institute’s (ULI’s) “Parking Requirements for Shopping Centers,” provide parking demand guidance.  Finally, ULI’s “Shared Parking” and similar research are other resources to justify lower parking supply for land uses with differing parking characteristics and with the availability of different modes of transportation (rail, bus, automobile, carpool, walking, and cycling).

In addition to supporting reduced parking supply approvals, local and national parking data and research publications can support amendments to zoning regulations for reduced parking requirements or implementing shared parking regulations.  Developers and local businesses can benefit from a partnership to share application fees and spark change to otherwise rigid regulations.  Some municipalities and developers are progressively partnering to approve shared parking and reduced parking requirements.  In addition, municipal and business partnerships have worked together jointly to eliminate parking requirements in districts with certain characteristics, requesting that the developer provide data to justify the appropriate amount of parking proposed for the particular use.

Finally, developers should consider partnerships with adjacent developers or local municipalities not only for regulatory adjustments, but also for additional parking supply.  With shared parking regulations, adjacent developments and municipal parking stock can supply needed spaces during off-peak periods.  This increases development density while reducing the need to build site specific parking adjacent to those that are not at capacity.  Similarly, a shared parking project with adjacent developers or municipalities can create additional parking supply, and distribute capital and maintenance costs between the public and private partners.

Using these techniques can help right size your parking supply, maximize development potential and create dense, sustainable urban centers. 

As mentioned in “The Incredible Shrinking Parking Field and Outparcel Development” article, each development is unique.  Hiring engineers, planners, and attorneys who have similar development experience in a municipality is recommended.  These professionals can provide knowledgeable guidance on specific municipal regulations and experience on previous applications, balancing the need for additional data collection versus using existing local and national data.  As a new year begins, changing trends in travel patterns and advances in technology will continue to impact future urban development.  Creative parking solutions to encourage dense, walkable developments will help you answer your Goldilocks dilemma and find the right size parking for your development.

Craig Yannes, P.E., PTOE, is a project engineer at Tighe & Bond,  Shelton, Connecticut.