59 Small City Housing • Respondents developments extremely difficult. Sure, the developer can go to the Zoning Hearing Board and request a variance but that only beleaguers the process, and there is no guarantee. Philadelphia was able to figure out how to eliminate parking minimums with two caveats – first, it is the largest city in Pennsylvania; second, the policy does not include single-family residential. But Janet thought to herself, for a smaller city that no longer has this designation…would it be possible? The crazy thing about parking is, if the development is in a walkable area, residents do not even need the parking! Janet considers this – and it makes sense. She considers the fact that currently, there are no parking minimums in the downtown core of her city. But last year, a new development went up, in the City core (walkable to everything!), with parking provided as an optional add-on amenity. The reception was cool to say the least. Residents were turned off by lack of on-site parking; they did not want to walk a block to their cars. You can’t win. Janet was happy to hear that, along with developers, many residents are in favor of eliminating parking minimums. In place of parking, residents want more (and better maintained) bike lanes! Bike lanes get people from residential neighborhoods to their jobs! They enable kids to bike to school! With some special travel bags attached you can run errands! Unless it snows…and the bike lanes don’t get plowed. Say “Yes!” to less parking; say “No!” to prioritizing cars. The return on investment (ROI for acronym lovers – there’s more coming!) for protected bike lanes comes in the form of increased ridership, which in-turn benefits neighborhood economics. Both cyclists and motor vehicle drivers feel safer on the road when there is a physical divide between users. What is considered a “divide” is a rabbit-whole unto itself, but Janet makes a mental note to catch up with her VisionZero colleagues. Unfortunately, as it turns out many of these single-family residential neighborhoods are not “walking or even bicycling distance” to destinations such as work, school, and retail. Residents explain, without transit improvements, new developments in these neighborhoods will not be an option for individuals/families who do not own cars. This burden will fall disproportionally on low-income households. Residents complain about inconsistencies in bus schedules, long routes, and lack of bus stops, never mind sheltered bus stops. Reducing impact fees and prioritizing these projects in the City’s capital budget could help – though it must be recognized that these shifts
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