A new D.C. zoning rule would allow Zipcar to legally park its cars in neighborhood lots and alleyways — the places where it already parks them.
The Zoning Commission gave preliminary approval last week to a new zoning rule, allowing car-sharing services to rent private spaces in residential neighborhoods around the city.
Zipcar, the sole car-sharing company in the District, already has 533 spaces on private property, 51 percent of them in parking lots and 28 percent in alleys, according to the District.
» 86 spots on public streets are registered with the District Department of Transportation.
» 533 are on private property, with 51 percent on surface lots, 28 percent in alleys, 17 percent in garages and 4 percent on private driveways.
» The District has 453 miles of public alleys, plus an additional amount of private alleyways.
But the city does not allow other commercial activity in neighborhoods, so D.C. officials proposed the new rule just for car sharing in its residential zones.
“This would allow the existing ones to remain,” said Joel Lawson, the Planning Office’s associate director for development review.
The city has supported car sharing for years, seeing it as a way to reduce the number of vehicles on the city’s traffic-clogged roads. District Department of Transportation Director Gabe Klein was formerly an executive with the company.
Zipcar estimates each shared vehicle translates to 15 fewer cars on the roads. Vehicle registrations dropped 5.8 percent in the District between 2005 and 2008, even as population rose slightly, according to a National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board report.
Zipcar’s general manager for the Washington area, Ellice Perez, credited the “forward-thinking administration” for making the zoning change.
Zipcar’s general manager for the Washington area, Ellice Perez, credited the “forward-thinking administration” for making the zoning change.
“Basically it means we can continue our mission to keep getting cars off the streets,” Perez said.
Zipcar clients want the convenience of using a car occasionally, she said, so it’s important for the shared cars to be easy for them to access. Having parking spots close to residential areas is especially important, she said, and the new rule would help.
“It makes it simple and convenient,” she said. “The cars can be a few blocks away, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
But the city also is trying to make sure the car sharing does not take away from the other parking needs of residents. The new rule says that spaces may be rented to car-sharing services as long as they are not the spaces required for the property’s residents. For example, homeowners could not rent out the sole driveway spot on their property.
Perez said she did not believe that caveat would hurt the existing spaces Zipcar uses.
The zoning change is in a 30-day comment period before it will be finalized, Lawson said.
