ASSESSING MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL PARKING DEMAND AND TRANSIT SERVICE: A COMPARISON OF TWO URBAN CENTERS IN KING COUNTY

摘要

Many jurisdictions in the United States typically set minimum parking requirements forresidential multifamily developments based on old data that is collected in suburbansettings with little transit availability. Such parking requirements applied to urban settingswith adequate transit service often result in the oversupply of parking, which in turncreates a barrier to smart growth. Not only does the oversupply of parking encourageautomobile use and reduce housing affordability but it also increases development costs,consumes land and natural resources, and increases associated air and water pollution.This research examines the relationship of parking demand and transit service intwo King County, WA urban centers, First Hill/Capitol Hill (FHCH) and Redmond. Inaddition, an alternative method to collect parking demand data was explored. The resultsshow a strong relationship between transit service and parking demand. The FHCH urbancenter, an urban area abutting downtown Seattle, exhibited higher levels of transit serviceand lower parking demand. Parking demand in FHCH was observed to be 0.52 parkingspaces per dwelling unit, which is about 50 percent less than parking demand observed inRedmond, a growing mixed-use suburban center, and 50 percent less than data reportedby the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). After reviewing parking policies ofeach urban center, opportunities to improve regulations were identified, includingadjusting minimum parking requirements and allowing for reductions in required parkingwhen developers implement solutions to reduce demand for parking.