San Francisco has a derth of parking — particularly in its residential areas. The reasons are many, but primarily they are related to history (garages changed into apartments) and the fact that the city has limited the number of spaces a developer can build with new apartments and condos to 1 for every 4 units. Now that makes perfect sense.
The city can project what the parking requirements will be years into the future. An apartment built next to a BART station or next to a 1000 car garage might need fewer spaces than one built in the heart of Signal Hill or other of Baghdad by the Bay’s crowded neighborhoods. Once again, why not let the developer make those decisions, not the city.
Of course the city wants to keep the number of spaces down, so its residents will sell off their cars and walk or take a cable car or whatever. But shouldn’t the residents be able to make that decision on their own?
Well, SF residents are going to. They are putting a proposal on the November ballot that will allow developers to increase the number of spaces they provide when they build new projects.
Let the free market decide. There will be a few bumps along the way, but the market will set the proper number of spaces for each development. Always does.
Shoupistas Rule!!!
JVH
