GREAT IDEA!
Seems odd that Buffalo is the only city to do away with the minimum parking requirement (though, Buffalo is oddly in a renaissance per recent articles I read).
Do developments in the Plaza area of KC have minimum requirements? Manhattan? Chicago? Austin? Surely not.
Maybe just the only city to have adopted and realize the errors of their way was Buffalo?
Nonetheless, GREAT IDEA!
Though Pittsburgh hasn't eliminated parking minimums, it has
levied huge taxes on parking, which was one of the redevelopment tools our own city leaders learned about on their visit to Pittsburgh a couple years ago. If you make it more expensive to park or build parking lots, it will sway people to erect buildings instead. And it's helped the city's coffers, too. They collect somewhere around $45 million each year from parking taxes, which can then be used to improve streetscapes, bus service, etc.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is in favor of a more progressive parking scheme: reducing parking minimums city-wide and relaxing it even more if there is transit nearby was a big part of his campaign to get elected.
See his plan here. I'd love to see our leaders make this a priority.
And while we're at it, a local Pittsburgh foundation has developed grants to help business owners make improvements to their buildings' facades and improve street life. Description below. Emphasis mine.
Paris to Pittsburgh
Funded by the Colcom Foundation, Paris to Pittsburgh offers two grants to help property and business owners make building façade improvements and establish outdoor cafés. The 50 percent matching grants are available to fund eligible projects that enliven the Golden Triangle streetscape using high-quality, pedestrian-oriented design elements.
Sidewalk Activation Grant
Inspired by the vibrant streets of Paris, the Paris to Pittsburgh Sidewalk Activation Grant encourages outdoor dining elements such as retractable awnings, tables and chairs, new lighting and landscaping. The project requires a 50 percent match and offers grants of up to $30,000.
Façade Grant
A 50 percent matching grant, the Façade Grant offers up to $30,000 to properties that are interested in façade improvements but are not adding an outdoor café or installing an operable storefront. Retail and service businesses are the ideal target candidates for this program.
...
Since the launch of Paris to Pittsburgh in early 2008, well over two million dollars has been invested to make buildings in the Golden Triangle more vibrant.