Rebecca Long November 9, 2012

Why is MTC interested in parking policies? 1.Land Use Impacts 2.Transportation Impacts 3.Other Regional Impacts

Land Use Impacts:  Excess parking requirements: – Increase housing costs, reduce feasibility of infill/TOD – Favor development where land is cheaper – Does not allow market to address current housing preferences Parking is an expensive use of land, crowds out other uses

Growing market for TOD

Parking: Transportation impacts  More parking at home — higher auto ownership  Free parking at work — more driving  Increases congestion  Higher ridership keeps transit costs down, improves service per $, attracts more riders  MTC looking at demand management for driving along with supply: Parking is key

People living close to transit use it much more! Residents < ½ mile of Rail/FerryResidents >½ mile from Rail/Ferry

Car Ownership by Market Segments Source: MTC, Choosing Where We Live, 2010, see

Parking: Other Regional Impacts  Economics – MTC is investing billions into region’s transit system – efficient transit is important to regional prosperity  Equity – Low income residents own fewer cars, but most still pay for parking bundled into housing costs, even if they don’t own a car  Environment – Reduce environmental impacts. Help meet SB 375 targets by encouraging use of alternatives to driving.

What has MTC done so far? Station Area Plans, technical analyses, ordinances, case studies, workshops  Support cities by funding station area plans  “Smart Parking Toolbox”  Model to re-estimate parking demand w/ transit, pricing  Technical analyses  Workshops & Videos

How Would AB 904 Affect the Bay Area?  Half - mile “high quality transit” ~ 80 locations  Less than 7% of land  Allows development of TODs with less parking where it works (not maximums)  Allow affordable housing to be built with parking levels based on lower usage

Are cities reducing their parking requirements?  National trend of cities reducing requirements, especially around transit & downtown  Cities making changes to improve local economies

So what is the problem? The solution? Parking is being reformed … but slowly and at a high cost!  Expensive and politically difficult for each city to change each station  Many cities don’t have $$$s to make changes in requirements  Cities may miss opportunities to provide lower-cost market-based housing or attract small businesses in downtowns in upcoming market cycle if parking requirements are too high Solution: Adopt a broader approach with lower “default” requirements, but preserve local options

METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION For more Information contact: Valerie Knepper MTC Planning