No new subsidized parking in Bethesda

Parking

by David Alpert • April 26, 2008 2:56 pm

The private parking garage at Bethesda's Air Rights Center costs $6.00 per hour. The public lot across Woodmont Avenue charges only 50 cents per hour.

Bethesda's Lot 31, slated for redevelopment.
Via Bethesda Urban Partnership.

Why is Bethesda undercutting its own private garages? If the Air Rights Center can charge $6 per hour even while being across the street from a much cheaper public lot, then there's clear market demand for $6 per hour parking. If Bethesda feels the need to build new parking, there's no rationale for charging any less. If a developer wants to build a private garage under a new building, fine. But we shouldn't be encouraging more driving (as opposed to transit riding) to Bethesda by further adding subsidized parking.

Yet that's just what the Montgomery County Executive wants to do. The County plans to develop the big parking lot at the corner of Bethesda and Woodmont (right across from the Barnes and Noble). That makes sense—there's a big empty plot of land right at one of Bethesda's main intersections. But the County Executive wants to spend $88,819,000 to replace the 278 existing spaces and add 800 new spaces, at a cost of about $75,000 per space.

The Transportation & Environment committee asks some good questions:

What are the public benefits to be derived, given the large public cost?

Given its location within a block of a new Metro entrance and the Purple Line terminus, is more parking being provided than is necessary or desirable?

Given that no added road capacity is being provided, how will the local streets operate with the traffic generated by the additional development?

Good questions, and based on this line of questioning there's hope that the County Council will cut the parking subsidy for this project. More cheap parking costs the public money while increasing traffic and pollution. Bethesda is on the Metro and the planned Purple Line. The County's public policy should focus on enhancing non-driving options of getting to Bethesda. If they charge market rates for parking and avoid building too much, that revenue can do just that, instead of wasting $88 million.

6 comments — Share	— tags: Bethesda, excessive parking, Maryland

Montgomery considering Bethesda parking rate increase (Apr 20, 2009)
Fund Ride-On, not subsidized parking, says Transit First (Mar 16, 2009)
Parking countdown #4: Minimums raise housing costs (Jul 28, 2008)
DC USA garage still mostly empty (May 19, 2008)
Bethesda garage only needed if you ignore all the other parking lots (May 7, 2008)

Comments

Is there really something called Air Rights Center? Is that for real? Why on earth would it be called that?

by Mike on Apr 27, 2008 9:30 pm

It's built on top of the railroad right-of-way that is now part of the Capital Crescent Trail. (New Haven has an Air Rights Garage which is built on top of the freeway that they want to boulevardize.)

by David Alpert on Apr 28, 2008 12:14 am

OK, I guess (though that's not the definition of 'air rights' I'm familiar with), but you'd think they would have come up with a more marketing-friendly name.

by Mike on Apr 28, 2008 2:07 am

Why on earth would it be called that?

To elicit the disbelief of tourists.

by Dan on Apr 28, 2008 4:13 pm

I believe the case surrounding the Air Rights Center was the first case in which "air rights" were defined, and it remains a significant legal landmark, thus the stature associated with the name. I don't know the details, but I'm sure someone around here does.

by David on May 9, 2008 5:32 am

Wow I had no idea anyone could be against more parking, and asking to pay more. Public transit is great when you're lucky enough to be on or near a route, but for those of us living in Bethesda a few miles north of downtown, the only alternative is taxi.

by Dave B on Apr 23, 2009 5:04 pm