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I am having a hard time seeing where there is an "oversupply" of parking and how it is supposedly detremental to the city at large.

Commercial building owners build parking at their own expense and either rent it or provide it free of charge to their tenants. They do so because it is expected. This parking, for the most part is never accessible to the public at large. The public doesn't subsidize this parking and the revenue from this parking is taxed at the cities benefit. Why and how is this somehow detrimental to the city?

Residential developers build parking because the majority of people demand it, either as an add on that they can rent or buy. To most, renting or buying in a building that didn't provide the option for parking, would be as distasteful as not having a laundry machine in the unit. It is one of the first things people look for.

Take Highland Park apartments whose front entrance is 75 feet from the columbia heights metro entrance. Ever been in their parking garage? Anecdotally, it was atleast 75% full on the Wednesday night I was in there and it is all tenant vehicles. They don't rent by the hour. One would think that the folks paying a hefty premium to live literally on top of the metro would be the first ones to go without vehicles, but it isn't the case.

Same goes for Kenyon SQ Condos across the street. They both built parking facilities and either bundled the cost in or sold the parking seperately and their parking garages are full. How can this be if the OP is correct? Shouldn't their garages be empty?

by Parking on Oct 22, 2012 12:49 pm • link • report