Our letter in support of reduced parking requirements via Individual Parking Plans
(Note: this was sent to the City of Tucson on 06/05/2022)
Honorable Mayor Romero and Council Council,
On behalf of Living Street Alliance I am writing today to express our support for the proposed Unified Development Code (UDC) Amendment related to Commercial Parking Requirements. We believe that allowing a mechanism for reduced parking requirements to support affordable housing and to facilitate outdoor seating for commercial establishmentswould be beneficial in several ways.
Codifying the Individual Parking Plan (IPP) option for affordable multi-family housing is a critical step towards addressing our current housing crisis. The significant expense of building obligatory parking spaces can hinder new projects and inequitably increase costs for renters (regardless of car ownership). Increasing hardscape parking areas also exacerbates the urban heat island effect and ultimately, our dependence on environmentally-destructive personal vehicles and related carbon-intensive infrastructures. Aligning with the recommendation given by the Planning Commission on this item, we believe that, in addition to approving this amendment, the Council should direct staff to explore by-right parking minimum exemptions for qualifying housing developments.
Like right-size parking for affordable housing complexes, the IPP option for restaurants and bars allows for urban space to be used for more active, people-friendly purposes. Repurposed surface lots can generate ongoing income and define quality streetscapes. While Living Streets Alliance’s work is focused mainly on public spaces such as streets, public plazas or parklets, we recognize that private spaces adjacent to streets help create more vibrant transitional zones, foster community connection and reclaim space for people in traditionally car-centric land uses. As we continue to adapt to the post-pandemic world, the availability of outdoor seating is an accessibility issue for many potential restaurant patrons.
Evidence from cities across the country and around the world shows that parking supply is one of the strongest predictors of parking demand, as demonstrated in the work of Urban Planning Professor Donald Shoup.Oversupplying parking often results inincreased traffic and adverse environmental outcomes. We understand that right-sizing parking is a complex task and will require a more comprehensive overhaul of our parking minimums and adopting additional transportation demand strategies. Therefore, we encourage the City of Tucson to explore more substantial code changes to create meaningful reductions in parking requirements as a way to disincentivize a heavy reliance on single-occupancy vehicle trips, and express our support for the current code amendment as an interim, smaller step in that direction.
Sincerely,
Emily Yetman
Executive Director