If approved, Austin would join a growing list of U.S. cities that have eliminated or reduced municipal parking mandates, says Austin City Council member Zo Qadri.
Qadri's office says Austin has already experimented with eliminating parking mandates. In 2013, City Council nixed them in the Central Business District and in response, many of the new Downtown towers built since sit on top of multi-level parking structures.
Qadri and his cosponsors also collaborated with reform advocates and members of the disability rights organization, ADAPT of Texas to make sure any new developments remain accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Alina Carnahan, vice president for advocacy with the Real Estate Council of Austin, pointed out in a letter sent before the vote that shifting to market-based parking policies provides multiple benefits.
"First, it allows for cost savings: parking spaces can cost more than $40,000 per space," Carnahan wrote. "The space saved by not overbuilding parking can be used for more commercial space and more housing within the same footprint, reducing sprawl and lowering per-unit or per-square-foot costs on projects."
Carnahan also wrote that this can help speed up the development review process and allow for faster delivery of new housing.that I have read and agree
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