Oh this sounds like a really good idea, let developers make market rate decisions because they know what works economically. We can really trust developers to do what is best for people and let’s just let free market forces take over. Government shouldn’t be making zoning decisions, we should just hand it over to developers.
What makes you think that if developers save money by not providing parking they will pass those savings on with more affordable housing? To say this will help the homeless situation, is a stretch. Why should we be subsidizing developers who don’t put in parking by letting them jam up our streets with their parking overflow?
The impacts to not requiring parking will be real and will hurt the quality of life for everyone in Olympia. In our older neighborhoods that have limited parking, all you need is for a couple triplexes to go with no parking to turn that block into a parking nightmare. The developer is under no obligation to evaluate the parking availability on the block. Under the new proposed parking regulations, they could simply not provide parking because they are trying to squeeze a multiunit building such as a triplex onto a small lot. The effects of allowing buildings to be constructed without parking will be cumulative.
Parking availability varies greatly by neighborhood. Some neighborhoods have ample parking with two car garages and big driveways. Other areas, especially Olympia’s close in older neighborhoods often don’t have garages, driveways, and parking can be limited to one side of the street. The City should study parking availability and design its parking regulations around parking capacity.
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