Photo courtesy MaoSayWhat.
Despite the economic tailspin, developers are still moving forward with luxury residential buildings that – assuming anyone can still afford to occupy them – will result in 170,000 new cars on city streets by 2030, thanks to city regulations requiring new developments to contain a minimum number of built-in parking spots. That estimate comes from public transit advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, who held a press conference at City Hall yesterday urging the city to change the policy, which they say will produce 431,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year.
Developers currently have to provide parking for an average of 0.4 to one car per housing unit. The TA proposes replacing those requirements with a maximum limit on the number of parking spots based on how close the building is to mass transit stops. But Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the Partnership for New York City, tells the Sun this would make it harder for developers to attract tenants outside Manhattan. And it would also present “an inconvenience,” for drivers, who, rather than take the subway, would simply seek parking elsewhere.
