Congressman Robert Garcia Introduces People Over Parking Act to Make Housing More Affordable by Eliminating Parking Minimums, Curbing Emissions
Washington D.C.- Today, Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) joined Representatives Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Greg Casar (TX-35), and Seth Moulton (MA-06) in introducing the “People Over Parking Act” which would eliminate outdated parking minimum requirements for new affordable residential, retail, industrial or commercial construction. According to the EPA, regions with walkable, mixed use, compact neighborhoods knit together by a robust network of transportation and environmental corridors, protect human health and the natural environment. This increase in housing availability will encourage transit ridership and lead to a reduction in emissions at a time when combating climate change is a top priority. This bill would mirror California’s efforts at a federal level. Text of the legislation is available here.
“Across the country, more and more cities are finding a simple way to lower housing costs: increase downtown development anchored in public transit and improve the environment by removing mandatory parking minimums,” said Congressman Robert Garcia. “Not only does eliminating parking requirements support smart growth, it reduces pollution emissions and promotes green space by promoting public transit and replacing heat-island blacktops with green spaces that improve stormwater management.”
"Requiring expensive parking construction near transit is a mistake. Studies routinely show that parking minimums are not set scientifically and often lead to vast, unused parking facilities. These requirements make housing more expensive, take away space for businesses, and detract from the walkable desirability that make main streets such an important part of our economy. These requirements can add up to $80,000 to the cost of a home, keeping rent unaffordable and homeownership out of reach. We applaud Congressman Garcia for his work to align our transportation, housing, economic development, and climate goals around a framework of allowing people to choose how much parking they should build, rather than depend on arbitrary and expensive local requirements." said Jim Wunderman President & CEO of the Bay Area Council.
"Greenbelt Alliance fully supports the elimination of our country's parking minimums. As a holistic environmental organization, finding solutions to both our housing crisis and most pressing environmental issues is crucial to our work. This bill would promote transit-oriented development to reduce our nation's carbon footprint, while advancing green spaces and stormwater management to prepare our cities for a changing climate. It's time we reimagined our public spaces for a smarter future." said Amanda Brown-Stevens of Greenbelt Alliance.
“Mandatory parking minimums drive up the costs of building truly affordable housing. By making developments more expensive to provide parking far beyond what residents need or use, these minimums prevent the construction of countless units of much needed housing," said Glenn Wilson, LOCUS Steering Committee Member. "If we are to truly prioritize equitable development, we need to make one thing clear: the priority is to house people, not cars. I wholeheartedly support this legislation so that we can continue the work of building inclusive, sustainable, walkable, public transit friendly communities, and look forward to a day when we can use our land for its highest use, housing our neighbors, rather than empty parking."
"We applaud Rep. Garcia and his introduction of the People Over Parking Act. For decades, mandatory parking minimums have been used as a way to limit the creation of much-needed housing such as accessory dwelling units and multi-family dwellings in cities across the country. With the nation running at least 3.8 million homes short of demand, we must remove barriers that stand in the way of building sustainable, transit-oriented communities that allow access to employment, education and healthcare resources – without reliance on travel by car,” said Mike Kingsella, CEO of Up for Growth Action.
The bill has been endorsed by LOCUS, a program of Smart Growth America; Parking Reform Network; Bay Area Council; Greenbelt Alliance; Up For Growth Action; San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR); Dr. Gernot Wager (Columbia Business School); Dr. Donald Shoup (UCLA); Natural Resources Defense Council; Sierra Club; League of Conservation Voters; and California YIMBY.
In Seattle and Buffalo, separate groups of academic researchers in 2020 and 2021, respectively, found that after policy changes concerning parking minimums, a large portion of developers did build less parking than previously required, and they particularly took advantage of the cost savings to build mixed-use projects. And in San Diego, another group of academic researchers in 2021 found that in the first year after parking reforms, proposals for affordable housing units jumped fivefold.
Congressman Robert Garcia is a career educator, who served two terms as the Mayor of Long Beach, California. Under his leadership as Mayor, Long Beach piloted programs like tuition-free community college and a universal basic income pilot. He also passed measures to support community safety and rebuild our infrastructure, legalized and taxed cannabis while promoting social equity, and promoted open, honest, and transparent governance by strengthening the city auditor, setting term limits, and creating ethics and redistricting commissions. His signature ballot initiative, Measure A, launched the largest infrastructure repair program in a generation, promoting good-paying union jobs.
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