Planning Board will have final say
The Beacon City Council on Aug. 5 voted 5-1 to approve reduced off-street parking requirements for new developments and substantial reconstructions.
Council Member Dan Aymar-Blair voted against the measure, saying he felt the council still had work to do on it. Pam Wetherbee was not present for the meeting.
For projects in the Central Main Street, Linkage and Waterfront Development zoning districts, seen as “core” walkable areas, the changes eliminate a minimum number of parking spaces required, replacing it with a maximum. The law gives the Planning Board authority to determine the number of spaces needed by weighing the parcel size, the proposed use, availability of nearby public or street parking and other factors.
The board could also require elements that encourage alternatives to driving, such as bike racks or storage facilities.
In residential, industrial and business districts, as well as the Waterfront Park, Fishkill Creek and Transitional zones, reduced minimum requirements were retained with maximums added. Again, the Planning Board has the authority to determine how much parking to require.
The standards are broken down further by building use. For example, a new residential building on Main Street would have no minimum requirement but could not provide more than one parking space per unit. A restaurant in the Waterfront Development district, a sliver of a zone on the east side of the train tracks, would also have no minimum but would be restricted from supplying more than three spaces for every 1,000 square feet of construction.
Conversely, housing in residential districts — whether a single- or multi-family structure — must provide at least one but no more than three spaces for each dwelling unit.
Alternative transportation advocates in Beacon and the more than 200 other municipalities nationwide that have dropped minimum requirements say the changes discourage unnecessary car trips and could help lower housing costs.
Studies have concluded that minimum parking requirements add significantly to the cost of new housing and hinder the development of affordable units. Below-market-rate development has increased in some cities where parking mandates have been lifted.
The council added a provision to the law requiring the Planning Board to provide statistics within a year to measure its effectiveness.
Several council members asked during the Aug. 5 meeting for more discussion of how the city can invest in or encourage alternatives to driving, such as biking, walking and the use of public transit. As a first step, eliminating Beacon’s decades-old minimum parking requirements in core areas will help shape “how we want the city to be,” said Council Member Molly Rhodes.
The hope is that dropping parking requirements for developments could push some projects from too risky to profitable, which creates more housing. Housing is far too expensive for “affordable” unless it’s subsidized. [via Instagram]
Studies have concluded that greed adds significantly to the cost of housing and hinders the development of affordable units. [via Instagram]