Buffalo Rising Online

Jan 17th, 9:41am By Marilyn Rodgers

Much has been said about parking in the City of Buffalo. We need it, we don’t need anymore, bad maintenance of surface parking lots, too much control over municipal parking, not enough control over municipal parking, and more.

However, we cannot dispute the amount of development going on in the downtown sector of the city. I, personally, cheer on this development, from the Federal Courthouse, to the Dulski, to the Statler, and much more. Both city and state governments must be proud of the advances in adaptive reuse with the many loft and residential developments and the fact that these properties are being filled. The next target is retail for those living and working in the Delaware and downtown sectors, a necessity for all of us.

Tourism is sure to follow, especially in the advent of the National Trust Conference in 2011. Amidst the new builds, adaptive reuse projects, and restorations lie many mid 19th century homes that will attract the armchair architects through this tourism movement. All added, we will be receiving essential increased dollars to our city and county coffers as a result.

It’s exciting, to say the least. And though there are many naysayers out there, if what is proposed comes to fruition, we will be booming along.

Throughout my readings on Buffalo Rising there have been some concerns that need to be addressed to assure the quality of life of those residents in the historic districts are not compromised due to this boom. Here are a few examples:

1/7/08 – zenfur: While I'm not saying this lot should become a parking lot... parking *is* getting much tighter down around there if you want to check out any of the bars, restaurants or music. I live and appreciate the city.... but driving around in circles trying to find a spot, then walking 4 blocks in the rain (should have been snow) last week was a pain...we almost went someplace else. Have any parking ideas been floated for Allentown?

1/7/08 – Kelly: You think that's bad? Imagine living there and trying to do the same... Grocery shopping is a two-person job around here. Double park, unload everything to the sidewalk while cars honk and you get people swearing at you, guard it all since it's more than one trip's worth and leaving some unattended to carry the rest in means it'll be gone when you get back, and wait for the other person to circle the neighborhood looking for parking and walk back to carry everything inside in shifts.

4/5/07 – Biniszkiewicz: … Parking is an issue in that neighborhood (West Village). Every working day and every school day the neighborhood gets inundated with commuters seeking free parking. Parking is a key issue for residents and a key impediment to recruiting good tenants. It's not a baseless concern.

11/21/06 – Dak: …There are several beautiful buildings on Whitney Place, Prospect Ave, Carolina Street, Georgia/Chippewa, and on Johnson Park. Many of them were built as hotels for the PanAm Exp. They're gorgeous and they have a ton of history. One of my favorites is a vacant building called "The Whitney" and it has its name over the front door. The uses for all of these cool buildings range from being vacant to being used as rooming houses, to being used as Section 8/welfare housing. Why? Well, I believe a lot of it has to do with the lack of off-street parking. They're simply not marketable to people who would pay premium rent if there is no place to put a car…

As far as the development goes, they are providing adequate parking facilities as many of the new projects include parking ramps, underground parking, etc. Unfortunately, as many of us in the Allentown and West Village have experienced, unless the parking is free, those that work in those structures and have the right to use it will continue to park in neighborhoods, avoiding the daily parking fee.

But, what if there was a plan that would encourage drivers into the downtown area to use park and ride facilities? The use of park and ride would provide increased revenue for public transit that might translate into better routes and increased service. Additionally, less traffic translates into less road congestion, easier access to city-center, and less pollutants in the air. And, most important, safety for children living in urban areas as it is compromised due to high traffic congestion.

And what would happen to the Historic residential districts? Maybe, as one poster noted, more families would be interested (as long as there are better schools available for their kids) in investing in these areas to provide a well-rounded life for them and their children.

Residential parking has been a blessing for many communities throughout the United States. As mentioned above, they look at the prospect of increasing use of park and ride systems as a way to deter air born pollutants and traffic congestion. The residential parking systems used in these cities and towns have provided quality of life to residents of these areas who are now going through what Buffalo is just embarking on now – increased development and walkability working hand-in-hand.

For the past five years, we in the West Village have been attempting to come up with a solution for our parking woes. Many of us lived here way before the Chippewa Entertainment District was established and young men and women drove to school instead of taking public or school bus transportation.

Historically, these mid-19th century neighborhoods such as Allentown and the West Village were not built with cars in mind. Many homes lack a driveway, much less a garage, and homeowners and tenants alike have to park on the street. As well, these neighborhoods also have many multiple dwellings that compound the parking deficit even further. On Johnson Park there are two major apartment buildings that house 30+ units each, a high school, and a theater that take up much of the on-street parking day and night. Now, compare that to the seven driveways available for residents and you can see the issue that residents are faced with 24/7.

I had to laugh the other day when a neighbor called to see if I wanted to go out for shopping and dinner. The first thing we did was determine when we would go and how long it would take us. Then we looked at the theater schedule and the schedule for dance instruction at Folkloric who rents space at the New Phoenix. We determined we would not have any place to unload groceries when we returned, even if we skipped dinner, so we rescheduled our shopping for four days later. Sure, we could have gone out to dinner at the restaurants surrounding us, but does anyone else go to the same places all the time? Do we have a right to visit other establishments throughout the city? And as far as walking for grocery shopping, please, how many do that when they have to fit in work hours and the number of bags into the mix?

On St. Patrick’s Parade Day we shudder. No one goes anywhere unless they plan to return home after 10:00 pm. The greenspace of Johnson Park is used as a surface parking lot, one year counting 37 vehicles sunk into the mud at one time. Litter is strewn about the streets and public urination becomes a sport. I am sure it is the same for Allentown during the Art Festival and other events and weekend nights.

Sure, it’s easy to retort, “The why did you buy there?” Well, there are many in both Allentown and the West Village who have lived in their homes before the previous mini-booms and the lack of code and law enforcement due to budget cuts. The past saw ticketing of vehicles, towing of vehicles and arrests for those who compromised our neighborhoods. We had a 2:00 am bar closing back then. There was less “cut-up” of older apartment buildings, creating additional units. There was much less need for parking in the area for visitors and employees of City Hall, the Federal Building, schools, and event-goers.

Development is good and we welcome it, but there needs to be compromise here to assure quality of life for the residents who stayed through the bad times and actually contributed to remedying the ills of the downtown neighborhoods.

To create residential parking provides improved incentives for others to invest in these areas. But, it takes a “home rule” through the NYS Assembly to allow the city to create these zones. Jessica Keltz of Buffalo Place discovered the home rule used by Ithaca, Cold Springs, Eastchester and Harrison, NY among others. She provided a template and we were hoping to schedule review and public hearings on same to create this for the Historic Districts of our city.

Here is some of the text used by Harrison, NY in their home rule:

New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 1662-c - Residential Parking System In The Town Of Harrison.

1662-c. Residential parking system in the town of Harrison.

1. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law to the contrary, the town board of the town of Harrison may, by adoption of a local law or ordinance, provide for a residential parking permit system and fix and require the payment of fees applicable to parking within the area in which such parking system is in effect in accordance with the provisions of this section.

2. Such residential parking system may only be established within the area of the town of Harrison which shall mean that area generally bounded by the following:

All of that area beginning at the intersection of Harrison Avenue and Broadway; running north on Harrison Avenue to Davenport Street; thence running east on Davenport Street to Oakland Avenue; then running north along Oakland Avenue to the intersection of Macy Road; running thence north on Macy Road to the intersection of Macy Road and South Road and Sunnyside Avenue; running thence west along Sunnyside Avenue to Sunnyside Place; thence north to Emerson Place; thence along Emerson Place to Emerson Avenue north to Hyatt Avenue; thence west on Hyatt Avenue to Harrison Avenue; thence south on Harrison Avenue to Webster Avenue; thence west on Webster Avenue to Crotona Avenue; thence south on Crotona Avenue to Calvert Street; thence east on Calvert Street to Broadway; thence south on Broadway to the intersection of Harrison Avenue, the place of beginning, permit parking may be implemented on both sides of any street whose center line is herein utilized as a boundary description. Provided, however, that except for the reference to state highways solely for the purposes of delineating the boundaries of the area described in this subdivision, the provisions of this section shall not apply to any state highway maintained by the state.

3. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no permit shall be required on streets where the adjacent properties are zoned for commercial/retail use.

4. The local law or ordinance providing for such residential parking system shall:

(a) set forth factors necessitating the enactment of such residential parking system; and

(b) provide that motor vehicles registered pursuant to section four hundred four-a of this chapter shall be exempt from any permit requirement; and

(c) provide the times of the day and days of the week during which permit requirements shall be in effect; and

(d) make not less than twenty percent of all spaces within the permit area available to nonresidents and shall provide short term parking of not less than ninety minutes in duration in such area; and

(e) provide the schedule of fees to be paid for such permits; and

(f) provide that such fees shall be credited to the general fund of the town.

5. No ordinance shall be adopted pursuant to this section until a public hearing thereon has been had in the same manner as required for public hearings on a local law pursuant to the municipal home rule law.

Now, there are some arguments that say those parking in the designated 20% of public parking should pay the fee and leave the residents with free designated parking, and then there are those (myself included) who say they would gladly pay an annual fee for residential parking. Here’s my personal take – why should taxpayers outside the designated areas pay for a benefit for exclusive use by these residents? Yes, we should have metered parking for the 20% available for public use, but to defray the costs of signage and permits, as well as administrative costs, an annual fee (averaging from $25 - $50 depending on the location throughout the US) is a small price to pay for having a spot to enhance your living conditions. Remember, not everyone is young and healthy, there are those who need their own transportation to live independently. For those residents who are strapped for cash due to income, neighbors could create a supportive fund to assure they can obtain parking as we here in the West Village have discussed.

There are great advantages to residential parking that supersede the residents’ needs as mentioned above. Traffic congestion and air-born pollutants can be remediated with increased use of public transportation that could occur if free-parking was not available. (Just an observation from the other day: A man parked in front of the building next door to mine around 8:00 am and when he left his car he kept looking around. Now, this, to me, may be cause for suspicion, so I watched him go around the corner. I was on my way to work and when I got into my truck and turned the corner I watched him walk into the Federal building that has a ramp for parking attached to it.) If free parking is not so available, there will be more use of the park and ride systems decrrasing the need for additional lots.

Here’s an excerpt on the matter from Assemblywoman Joan L. Millman, 52nd Assembly District during her November 1st, 2007 oral testimony at New York City Traffic Mitigation Commission public hearing held at New York City Tech Klitgord Auditorium:

I propose the following alternative ways to reduce traffic in the city:

1. 3-Person HOV Zone for Manhattan Below 60th Street: A 3-Person HOV Zone on all roadways leading into Manhattan below 60th Street should be created. This is not without precedent as the city implemented a similar plan during the transit strike of 2005 and in the months following 9/11.

2. Residential Parking Permits: In the HOV Zone and all adjacent zones, including outer borough neighborhoods such as Downtown Brooklyn, there should be fee-based residential permit parking, similar to Boston and Washington, DC.

In San Francisco, a study was made that produced the following:

Why is downtown parking reform needed?

This legislation will address two of San Francisco’s most vexing problems, housing affordability and traffic congestion. The legislation will increase the supply and affordability of downtown housing, while preserving the downtown's historic transit-oriented character and reducing traffic in the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. This legislation will:

-Make housing more affordable: A UC Berkeley study found that housing without parking sold for 12% less than comparable units with parking, were affordable to 24% more San Francisco households, and sold an average of 41 days faster than condominium units with parking.[1] A study by the Sedway Group found that downtown condominiums without parking were up to 21% more affordable than comparable units with parking.[2]

-Create more housing options for real San Francisco households, not wealthy out-of-towners: The 2000 census found that approximately 30% of San Francisco households didn’t own a car; the percentage of car-free households in transit-rich areas exceeds 50%, including up to 70% in the Mid-Market and Tenderloin neighborhoods. All the downtown housing currently being developed with one (or more) parking space per unit will change the character of transit-rich downtown neighborhoods.

-Make Downtown more family-friendly: A recent study by the Department of Children, Youth and their Families found that the city's unsafe streets are one of the top reasons that families with children are leaving San Francisco. Making our downtown streets safer and downtown housing more affordable will help attract and retain families with children.

-Reduce traffic congestion: A 2005 San Francisco State University study found that each residential parking space generates several vehicle trips per week, and that travel behavior differed greatly between residents of buildings with one space per unit and buildings with reduced parking where people were more likely to bike, walk, or take transit.[3] The Transportation Authority projects 250,000 new vehicle trips in San Francisco by 2025 if we don’t change our transportation policies; this legislation will help us reduce new vehicle trips while using our limited street capacity most efficiently.[4]

-Stop the privatization of downtown streets: Private automobiles are the most space-intensive form of transportation, and have been allowed to compromise the safety and mobility of pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders. Reduced parking will generate fewer vehicle trips, which makes it easier to reclaim road space downtown for wider sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and transit lanes. It will also allow us to create more housing and jobs overall in the downtown.

-Create transportation options for downtown residents: Building transportation options, like car sharing and bicycle parking, into each new development reduces traffic and provides transportation options for residents.

-Make downtown a better neighbor: Downtown traffic spills into the dense residential neighborhoods surrounding Downtown, like the SoMa and Tenderloin, which despite having some of the lowest car ownership rates in the city have some of the highest rates of pedestrian deaths and injuries from auto collisions. Reducing traffic will reduce the public health and environmental impacts on these neighborhoods.

-Support production, distribution, and repair (PDR) jobs: reducing traffic generated by residential uses will facilitate goods movement to production, distribution, and repair (PDR) uses on the edges of downtown;

-Improve pedestrian safety and economic vitality: excessive traffic and inadequate sidewalks compromise pedestrian safety—especially for children and the elderly— and hurt the economic vitality of neighborhood-serving retail. This legislation will reduce traffic conflicts and improve the attractiveness and safety of walking, bicycling, and transit use in our downtown, by eliminating garage entrances and portes cochere on major transit, bicycle, and transit routes.

It may not be a major issue for most living in the city, but the downtowners experience this every day and wait for a workable solution used by other cities in the US and in our own state. I think it best for our Historic Districts to work together on this one, especially in light of future development.

It’s not the development or developers at fault here. They are providing parking for their properties. However, we must not forget all who are impacted by this tremendous push for the future of our city. It’s like the Girl Scout song I learned so many years ago: “Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.” The residents are the old friends, please, government and elected officials, don’t forget us.

-Image prepared by WestCoast Perspective