PRESENTATION
Lifting parking mandates to increase housing production
0:48:47
·
4 min
Garodnick presents the proposal to lift parking mandates citywide as part of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative. He explains the rationale behind this change and its potential impacts on housing production.
- Current zoning requires new housing to include parking, even when it's not needed
- The proposal aims to eliminate costly parking mandates to lower housing costs and increase production
- Garodnick argues that parking will still be built where needed, citing examples of developers providing more parking than required
- He presents this as a proven strategy, referencing other cities that have lifted parking mandates with positive results
- The example of Buffalo is highlighted, where 70% of newly constructed homes since 2017 would have been impossible to build under previous parking requirements
Daniel Garodnick
0:48:47
Next, lifting parking mandates.
0:48:50
Today, as you all know, New York City requires new housing to include parking, even when it's not needed.
0:48:59
So our zoning resolution defines precisely the minimum amount of parking that you must deliver in every zoning district, in every building, every community about around the city.
0:49:11
And what we have found is that is not only expensive, but is directly competing with housing production and is preventing new housing from being built in many circumstances.
0:49:25
So what we propose to do here is to lift the mandates to lower our housing costs and also to increase housing productions.
0:49:34
We're not saying put a cap on the potential amount of park, and we're just saying, let's eliminate the costly mandate.
0:49:40
We know that architects and developers when they're looking at doing a lot or building in New York City, they first start with, what do I have to deliver on parking?
0:49:48
And then they design an entire building around it.
0:49:52
I can tell you is now having served as chair of the city planning commission for 3 years, We routinely see applications with a waiver request to opt out of parking mandates and places that are right above a subway station or a block or 2 away from a subway station, and we grant those because we think that that is okay, particularly when you're in such proximity to transit.
0:50:16
And we also see routinely, we see developers who are developing in all areas of the city, who provide much more than the mandatory minimum.
0:50:28
It happens every commission meeting almost in in I can even give you some examples in one of the coming slides.
0:50:35
We see this routinely.
0:50:37
We expect that parking will continue to be built in places where it is needed, but we would not hear continue to require it where it is clearly not needed.
0:50:45
Next slide.
0:50:47
Here's an example of this.
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A developer wants to build a 16 unit, apartment building, 4 minute walk from a subway on this site.
0:50:54
Today, you all know that you wave out of parking.
0:50:58
No parking requirements under 10 units.
0:51:00
K?
0:51:00
So there's no requirement up to 10.
0:51:02
When you hit the 11th unit here in this district, it triggers a 6 parking space requirement.
0:51:10
Now that 6 parking space requirement would have this developer stop at 10.
0:51:16
It's not rational to build the 11th unit here and to provide 6 parking spaces at 11 or to go up to 16 and provide 8 parks spaces for those 16 units.
0:51:26
It's not cost effective.
0:51:28
It won't make sense.
0:51:28
You get 10 units of housing, and we would lose those 6 more urgently needed homes near transit.
0:51:36
We do not want to force those sorts of calculations to happen anymore.
0:51:39
Next slide.
0:51:43
Again, we preserve that option to add parking in new buildings here.
0:51:46
It's not a cap.
0:51:47
We expect parking will continue to be built.
0:51:49
We're demand calls for it.
0:51:51
I noted a moment ago that developers choose to create more parking than is even mandated.
0:51:56
Some examples here.
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It's gonna test my eyesight, but we I think have 60 92nd Street in Brooklyn.
0:52:02
0 required, 19 provided that building is up.
0:52:06
There's a building here on 84th Drive in Queens, required 11, provided 32, also constructed.
0:52:13
More recently, we approved a building on Victory Boulevard in Staten Island, 25 parking spaces required, 67 were provided.
0:52:22
And, of course, this council approved a a site on Boston Road in the Bronx.
0:52:27
0 parking space required, a 117 spaces were provided.
0:52:31
It happens rather routinely that developers go above the minimum.
0:52:36
We expect that will continue to be the case.
0:52:38
Next slide.
0:52:39
We're needed.
0:52:40
We're needed.
0:52:41
Lifting park mandates is a proven strategy nationwide.
0:52:45
Many cities I like to think that New York City is always the first in all things in this situation.
0:52:49
We are not.
0:52:51
Many cities have lifted parking mandates, including Buffalo, Minneapolis, Seattle.
0:52:56
Many others, data allow shows that This is boosting housing production while still allowing for parking as needed.
0:53:05
You know, the closest to home example here is Buffalo.
0:53:09
Since the parking mandates in Buffalo were lifted in 2017, 70% of the newly constructed homes would have been impossible to build before.
0:53:19
70%.
0:53:21
And at the same time, 83% of new buildings chose to continue to offer parking.
0:53:30
Next slide.
