By Bill Robertson
Addressing inner-city development and suburban parking lots that resemble “seas of asphalt,” members of the Shreveport Metropolitan Planning Commission voted last week to recommend the City no longer require parking minimums for new real-estate development.
The move follows the lead of cities like Austin and San Antonio in Texas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Buffalo, New York, according to MPC Deputy Director Stephen Jean, who briefed planning commissioners on the change.
Jean said an untold number of development projects in Shreveport have never made it past staff review due to the City’s parking requirements. He said cities that have dropped minimum parking rules have seen bursts of new development, particularly in older areas in need of revitalization.
“This simple code change will have significant long-term community benefits,” Jean said.
Here are some of the projected benefits of the change, as outlined by Jean:
· Revitalization, affordability and economic development
· Fewer barriers for small developers and entrepreneurs
· More competitive historic neighborhoods and commercial corridors.
MPC Executive Director Alan Clarke said the elimination of parking minimums is one of three primary goals he set for his remaining time as director. He is scheduled to retire at the end of the year.
The other two, Clarke said, are a decision on the future of the controversial Interstate 49 Inner-city Connector and an update of the City’s “Great Expectations” Master Plan for Development.
Clarke said minimum parking rules have resulted in “seas of asphalt” in commercial areas of Shreveport. Jean included aerial images of three such areas in his presentation to the MPC: Walmart on Youree Drive, Lowes on Mansfield Road and Uptown Shopping Center, Line at Pierremont.
Jean said many American cities are reducing or eliminating parking requirements. He said minimum demands reflect a “one-size-fits-all approach,” drive up development costs, discourage reinvestment in older neighborhoods and create excess parking capacity.
Clarke credited Allendale Strong and ReForm Shreveport for speaking against parking minimums. He also said former Caddo Parish Commissioner Lyndon Johnson led a push for no minimum-parking rules when Walmart built its new store in Blanchard.
The MPC’s proposed change to the Unified Development Code now goes to the Shreveport City Council for a vote, possibly in October. Should the council adopt the change, the amount of parking in new developments will essentially become a developer’s choice. Here are exceptions:
· Americans With Disabilities Act parking will have to be provided based on state requirements.
· For cases when a Special Use Permit is required for auto-centered uses, the MPC can apply targeted parking requirements as a condition of approval.
Jean said Shreveport developers can still build parking. Removing minimums does not prevent parking-lot construction.
Bill Robertson is a member of the Shreveport Metropolitan Planning Commission.