Parking Lots: Necessary Evil or Wasted Space?

Leverage parking studies to reduce parking requirements in new Mixed use Zoning Districts and to change Development Code in proposed update.

In conjunction with the City of Houston, the City of Sugar Land is proposing a presentation that paints a picture of parking data to show how the underutilized parking lots that exist do not meet the current minimum requirements. This shows that the existing minimum requirements are grossly incorrect based not only on what was built, but also what is necessary for a site to function properly.

This data has been incorporated into two new proposed Mixed Use Zoning Districts (to be passed Summer of 2023) targeted for major activity centers to drastically reduce the required parking minimums and require better quality parking lots. This quality over quantity approach would include safer pedestrian crossings, more shade via structures and trees, and more ideal locations for spaces that are likelier to be utilized.

This presentation considers the following:
* Neither parking requirements nor their elimination should be one-size-fits-all.
* Requests to reduce parking need to address more than proximity to mass transit.
* How do community leaders obtain improvements that increase access for all community members?
* Does focusing solely on adjacency to transit improve or limit inclusion and equity?
* How can the value applied to traditional parking models be redirected to achieving other community goals?
* When requirements are reduced across the board, do communities lose negotiating power?

The paper analyzing parking in Sugar Land, presentation slides from a Houston presentation given in Philadelphia at the national APA conference, and draft slides for the TX Presentation are attached. Once the MUZ ordinance is adopted, it will be added to the submittal as well. Obviously, the presentations will evolve as we have more information and get closer to the conference, but I wanted to include a clear idea of what we want to present.