City encourages less parking, more mass transit and car sharing

Could a simple tweak in zoning rules nudge city-dwellers toward buses, bicycles, car shares and other energy-saving means of transportation?

Indianapolis city planners think so.

They are offering developers huge savings — tens of thousands of dollars on large projects — by reducing the required number of parking spaces for some developments if bike racks, electric-car charging stations or other "green" amenities are offered instead.

The change is included in the recent overhaul of the county's 1969 zoning code, called Indy Rezone, which is moving toward final adoption by the City-County Council. It's unclear how many developers will jump at the offer. And if they do, whether residents here can be swayed to part with their cars — or even do without them for a day or two.

"Drive, drive, drive has been the Central Indiana paradigm for years and many developers still have that mentality," said Tammara Tracy, principal city planner. "We are trying to ease them into the new urban model with carrots."

A major goal of the zoning rewrite is to improve walkability and transportation options in the city and increase greenspace. It's similar to plans in other cities and dovetails with many initiatives of Mayor Greg Ballard, such as the Indiana Pacers Bikeshare, expansion of trails system, the BlueIndy car share and the bus rapid transit plan.

"Definitely, the intent is to diversify our transportation options," Tracy said.

Other cities, such as Portland and Boston, have relaxed parking requirements with mixed success. Earlier this year, Seattle went a step further and required developers to offer residents bus passes or bikeshare memberships instead of parking spaces.

Indianapolis isn't going as far as Seattle, mostly because it has such a long way to go in encouraging alternative transportation, city officials said.

Historically, the Circle City been one of the most drive-centric in the nation. The U.S. Census Bureau's most recent survey of commuters found that just 1 percent of Indianapolis residents take public transportation to work, compared to 11.5 percent in Chicago, 3.8 percent in Cleveland and 2.4 percent in Louisville.

The city also ranks near the bottom in the number of people who bike or walk to their jobs.

The new code allows developers of multi-family homes to reduce the number of required parking spaces by 30 percent if they build within 1/4 mile of a sheltered bus stop or main mass transit corridor. If they are 1/4 to 1/2 mile away, they can reduce the number of parking spaces by 10 percent.

Builders also get to reduce parking spaces if they replace them with bike racks, carpool parking or electric car charging stations.

The standard requirement is that one parking spot be built for each living unit in a multi-family building. In commercial buildings, the required parking is determined by a building's square footage.

Tracy said the average cost of creating a parking space is about $2,500, minus the value of the land. A study by the city of Portland found that the cost of parking spaces ranges from $3,000 for street level to $20,000 for above-ground garage to $55,000 for underground.

Tracy said developers can use the extra space to add units or building amenities, like a gym or swimming pool.

"Some developers have objected while others have embraced it," she said. "This is a pretty penny we are offering them, but there is still some resistance."

At the refurbished Glendale Mall, the city relaxed parking rules and the developer responded by building a couple more storefronts.

On the other hand, superstores like Wal-Mart like to have extra parking spaces to reassure customers they can always find parking.

Tadd Miller, CEO of Indianapolis developer Milhaus, said the cost savings developers could reap from cutting back on parking spaces could be passed onto tenants.

"While it may seem like this zoning change is beneficial to developers, the real winner is the downtown resident and customer, who isn't burdened with paying for parking spaces (both up front costs and ongoing maintenance) that sit empty the majority of the time," Miller said. "Milhaus is very supportive of these adjustments in the parking requirements."

Michel Mounayar, chairman of urban design and a professor of architecture at Ball State University, said the answer to the parking dilemma is in striking a balance between the needs of residents who want cars and the increasing number of younger people who don't.

"Parking in cities is like the holy grail," Mounayar said. "Even if there is enough parking, people think there is never enough. But it is important not to offer it as an amenity if it isn't needed."

Modern cities are chasing young skilled workers who have largely eschewed cars, Mounayar said.

"There is a segment of that population that defines freedom by not having a car and all the payments," he said. "They see it as a healthy lifestyle. The city is your gym. Your exercise is integrated into daily activities."