The new parking policy creates a new, tiered framework for parking requirements and reduces the required number of parking spots near transit.

Fairfax County officials unanimously voted to reduce parking requirements under a policy known as ‘Parking Reimagined,’ reports Margaret Barthel in DCist.
“The new parking minimums depend on a variety of factors, including whether the project is residential, retail, or office, where it is located, and whether it’s close to transit.” The policy also requires bike and pedestrian infrastructure for large parking lots.
In addition to lowering the cost of housing construction, “County leaders hope the change — while modest — will ultimately mean more space for housing, parks, and other public amenities, instead of large, mostly-empty suburban parking lots that become heat islands in the summer and produce stormwater runoff when it rains.”
According to Barthel, “Most significantly, the new policy imposes a tiered structure for determining parking minimum requirements, cutting them back particularly in mixed-use areas near transit and in places designated by the county’s comprehensive plan for revitalization, such as Annandale and the Route 1 corridor.” The policy also simplifies rules around parking when a building changes hands.
Barthel notes that the policy does not change the amount of parking required for single-family homes or most townhomes, but could add new parking in areas around townhomes due to its requirement for visitor parking.
FULL STORY: Fairfax Supervisors Approve Plan To Reduce Parking Requirements

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
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