Dallas faces a dilemma as it attempts to update its outdated parking regulations to accommodate a changing city landscape. While the City Plan Commission seeks to align parking codes with modern market demands, public resistance fueled by concerns over parking availability and a desire for suburban-style development threatens to stall progress. The article explores the challenges of balancing the needs of a growing food and entertainment scene with public anxieties over parking, highlighting the generational divide and political complexities involved.
An aerial view shows a packed parking lot at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, as early Black Friday shoppers arrive at the mall. Contributing columnist Dallas Cothrum says some Dallas constituents want suburban-style development with Black Friday capacity parking year-round. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it might have finished in a shorter time than the city of Dallas has spent overhauling its parking standards. This process started before the pandemic.
I don’t blame the Plan Commission for the speed of reform. It might have been nice if city staff had driven this harder and faster. The commissioners volunteer, working long hours. Frankly, I’m shocked at how poorly they’ve been treated recently by citizens who show up with vitriol and hot opinions and are single-issue focused. Maybe it’s all right to take out frustrations on elected officials, but it’s not reasonable to do it to people who spend at least a dozen or more hours a week as volunteers. Tony Shidid has served as chair of the commission since 2019, and has been a member for nearly 10 years. He’s thoughtful and goes to meetings all over the city listening to constituent concerns. He’s a caring leader in a place that desperately needs one. He knows something needs to happen to modernize parking standards. He told me: “Code reform is vital for the city. Markets move faster than policies, and updating our codes lets us align our policies with an eye on the future, ensuring Dallas stays competitive and positioned for the future.” Nearly 20 years ago, I volunteered to serve on the city committee to review parking. Some reforms were made to address parking reductions for logistic centers, home improvement stores and self-storage. The changes that needed to occur to create opportunities for development were not. Why? Because it’s politically hard. I worry the same thing will occur this time around. One giant change in the market since then is the importance of restaurants and bars as entertainment uses. Dallas has become a food city, and not just at luxury restaurants that compete for Michelin stars. Katy Trail Ice House, as one example, serves as a community center for every age. The tax base, entertainment value and social gathering spots these places create are worth the risk that it may be hard to find a place to park. I doubt there will be political will to support restaurants. Dallas is a city that too often opts for rules, rather than distinct places for its citizens.The subject will likely break down along generational lines, like Forward Dallas did. We’ll see a big boomer turnout of affluent homeowners who are committed to looking backward. Think expansive, open parking lots and suburban-like development based on required parking ratios. The median age in Dallas is around 40. The median voter is well into their 60s. Unfortunately, this issue is coming up during a City Council election year. When this issue reaches the City Council, votes will be more important than public policy or economic development. Dallas is paving (literally) the future by making it conform to the standards of people who won’t be living in it. Think Fred Flintstone when George Jetson is more appropriate. One planning commissioner lamented what he called the “East Dallas Mafia” — a well-organized group dedicated to ensuring Dallas stays in the 1980s. They want enough parking for Black Friday year round, and they fear trusting the market. Omniplan is the architect for several notable Dallas locations, including Highland Park Village and NorthPark Center. Its leader, Tip Housewright, is also a member of the City Plan Commission. He told me, “Every place anyone wants to be is crowded and a challenge to find parking.”Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World maintains, “Everyone wants parking to be convenient, available, and free. But the forces of time, space, and money conspire in such a way that no thriving place can meet more than two of the three parking needs.” Too many citizens in Dallas think all three are possible. At the very least, the City Plan Commission should recommend allowing paid parking. If you want to control who parks and its duration, that is the answer. It works at City Hall, Love Field, hospitals and hotels. Why not let more owners monetize their parking assets? You’ll find people will change their habits, creating more parking. We are never going to reduce vehicle dependence unless we put a pricing mechanism on parking in areas where parking is dear. For a city trying so hard to be progressive on many issues, Dallas seems surprisingly unlikely to join big-boy cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta and Austin with paid parking.All over the country, communities are trusting the market. That won’t happen here because too many citizens are uncomfortable with that outcome. They prefer code-required suburban-style developments that feature parking — and lots of it
PARKING STANDARDS DALLAS CITY PLANNING SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT RESTAURANTS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC OPINION VOTER DEMOGRAPHICS TRAFFIC
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