Extending parking meter hours to include evenings and weekends and allowing limited public parking in office lots are just two of many changes to Arlington County’s transportation plan being considered by the county board.
The board is weighing incorporating these new long-term strategies in anticipation of a 17 percent increase in population and 31 percent increase in employment over the next 20 years.
Another element under consideration is the prospect of “unbundling” parking from the cost of rent. Under this practice, the price of a parking space would be separated from the price of renting or owning an apartment.
Unbundling has been proven in various parts of the country to lower the parking demand by over 10 percent and enable the building of smaller garages, according to county documents.
“We’re [of] the view that we should move forward at this time,” said Bill Gearhart, the chairman of the county’s Transportation Commission. “Let’s get the thing out there and let people focus on it.”
Gearhart did add that businesses want to be consulted in discussions about changes in on-street parking that could affect their customers.
Board members agreed that businesses should be kept in the loop on aspects of the plan, like changes to parking meters, that could affect them.
“It’s really important that we keep the business community engaged,” said board chairman Barbara Favola. “They seem to get misinformation rather easily.”
Another proposal would allow developers to build more parking space than currently required by the county zoning ordinance — provided that the parking is shared with adjacent properties or users. For example, the sharing could involve opening up a garage for public parking during the day or evening.
Favola said she was “delighted” by the progress the county board and staff are making on the parking element of the transportation plan, noting that it is “an incredibly large and complex task.”
The county board on Saturday voted unanimously to advertise the addition of the parking and curb space element into its Master Transportation Plan. The proposed amendment is scheduled for review by the Transportation Commission in October and the Planning Commission in November prior to a county board hearing on Nov. 14.
