[Vision2020] Where's the parking

[Craine Kit]

I have wondered why the rezone was for the Central Business (CB)  
district, rather General Business (GB), which is the one Gritman is  
in. Could it be because CB does not require onsite parking while GB  
does? Could P&Z have even required parking mitigation if they  
recommended CB?

The Central Business district does not require off-street parking  
mainly because it is impracticable--the buildings are in place. In a  
redevelopment, onsite parking should be required--if for no other  
reason that granting handicapped individuals the privileged of  
parking near retail space.


Kit

On Jun 28, 2006, at 12:57 AM, Nils Peterson wrote:

> On 6/27/06 11:33 PM, "Bruce and Jean Livingston"
> <jeanlivingston at turbonet.com> wrote:
>
>> To cross reference this to our earlier discussion, many, probably  
>> most,
>> myself included, would support the redevelopment of the grain  
>> elevators on
>> the edge of downtown.  Simply asking questions about "where's the  
>> parking"
>> is wise planning, rather than blindly re-zoning the property and  
>> eliminating
>> parking requirements, only to discover parking problems later.   
>> Asking these
>> questions need not be divisive, and the questions ought not be  
>> thought to be
>> out-of-place or irrelevant.  Other experiences have demonstrated that
>> parking is an issue downtown, and it is an issue from there to the
>> University.  Ignoring real parking concerns so that we can be "pro  
>> growth no
>> matter the costs" by giving the developer everything he or she  
>> requests is
>> unwise and foolish.
>
>
> Thanks Bruce for this thoughtful reply.
>
> I agree asking about the parking is wise planning. P&Z was moving  
> to propose
> Beebe develop a 'parking mitigation' plan. That seemed like a  
> plausible path
> to me, a way to raise the question of parking at the rezone stage,  
> but since
> the rezone did not discuss uses, allow the solution to be brought  
> forward at
> the building permit stage. It looked like a way to finesse the  
> separation we
> now enjoy of zoning from other hearings, eg CUP/PUD.
>
> But without agreement on the nature of the parking problem(s) it  
> may be
> difficult to agree on the nature of an acceptable mitigation, so I was
> attempting to start these threads on parking to get an analysis of  
> what the
> parking problem is, such that its solution could be better designed.
>
> We got distracted by developer bashing and then bashing one  
> another. Sorry.
>
> Bill Parks thinks there are 3 parking problems, "impulse" parking  
> (to shop);
> employee parking, and downtown resident parking. If so, three  
> solutions
> might be needed. And they might not involve on-site parking. It may  
> also be
> that downtown parking is used by students unwilling to pay for UI  
> parking --
> I don't know Bill's thought on that -- but that could be a fourth  
> problem.
>
> Philip Cook added an interesting item to the conversation with his  
> pointer
> to the High Cost of Free Parking (At first I thought this might be  
> a spoof
> on a similarly titled video about an infamous retailer, but its at the
> American Planning Association website and the first chapter is an
> interesting read -- if not the common wisdom.)
>
> The Idaho Smart Growth scorecard (
> http://www.idahosmartgrowth.org/projects/scorecards/ 
> SmartGrowthScorecard-Com
> mercialDevelopment.pdf) provides some help, suggesting on-street  
> parking is
> important, and that off street parking be behind or screened from the
> street. From that one might conclude that employee/resident parking  
> is one
> kind of problem, to be addressed onsite, and visitor/shopper (impulse)
> parking is to be addressed on the street.
>
> That leads me to the thought that 3-hour parking downtown might be  
> part of
> our problem. Perhaps CBD street parking should be one hour, and  
> some other
> lots handle longer-term parking.
>
> I understand we'll have a chance to continue this discussion in  
> July when
> Gritman brings forward a rezone for land it owns south of Jackson.  
> I don't
> know what they will seek, General Business or CBD.
>
>
>
>
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