Photo by AlbinoFlea on Flickr.

Last night, the Dupont Circle ANC passed a thoughtfully crafted resolution on the Hilton proposed development. The ANC opposes the landmarking, and also opposes the project as presented. They objected to the inadequate loading docks, insufficient parking, the mass of the development, and the swimming pool. But as Commissioner Mike Silverstein emphasized, the primary concern of the ANC was the loading docks. If the Hilton fixes the loading problem, Silverstein said, “this ANC will not micromanage” the project.

Hilton representative Peter Comey claimed that the Hilton’s new owners are working hard to better manage the loading, such as insisting that trucks and taxis respect the rules by not idling on neighborhood streets. Residents, however, argued that problems persist, and that trucks violate the no truck areas multiple times each day.

According to Comey, the Hilton has been unable to work out a loading solution that works for the neighborhood and city agencies that is financially feasible for the Hilton’s owners. The ANC responded skeptically. Commissioner Bob Meehan asked why the Hilton could not use some of the underground parking areas for loading rather than parking. After all, the Adams Morgan ANC requested a reduction in residential parking from the excessive amount the Hilton owners proposed.

Why did the Hilton propose so much parking (up to 2-3 spaces per unit, according to Ann Hargrove)? I asked Comey about that. He explained that they planned large amounts of underground parking in response to neighborhood concerns; they were surprised by the Adams Morgan ANC request. This may be a case of reacting too literally to residents’ concerns.

Today, many employees park on the street. During the day, many of them go out every two hours to move their cars around. In the evenings, the on-street demand from employees and guests makes parking very difficult. It’s understandable that residents want to do something about this.

But building a huge garage doesn’t solve this problem, and to the extent it alleviates one issue, it creates others. A big garage will encourage even more people to drive, once they don’t have to repark every two hours. Excessive parking for new residents will generate a lot of traffic.

The ANC resolution balances these considerations. It asks the Hilton to “incorporate … sufficient parking to reasonably accommodate employees, residents, guests, and visitors,” but also urges the Hilton to use SmartBenefits, Zipcars, Metro shuttles, bike sharing, and other strategies to encourage non-automobile commuting by its employees and the residents of the new complex.

This is a perfect place to institute performance parking. Just like at the ballpark or in Columbia Heights, we have a large (proposed) development that will generate significant transportation demand along with high existing demand. Instead of suffering through on-street parking problems, the ballpark now lets residents park for free and visitors pay to park on neighborhood streets. It’s working there, and something similar can work here.

I live only a few blocks away, and Lauriol Plaza also brings in huge numbers of visitors who park for free on evenings and weekends. If visitors pay, we can ensure spaces are available for residents and visitors alike, generate revenue to benefit the neighborhood, and reduce traffic.

It’s clearly time for a North Dupont Circle performance parking program. With such a program, a reasonable but not excessive market-rate parking supply at the Hilton, and most importantly a workable loading arrangement that doesn’t unduly burden public space and residential streets, the Hilton’s proposed expansion can go forward without undue burden on the community.

It’s too bad we couldn’t have a more urban-friendly development, like the townhouses Comey told the ANC were part of the original proposal. But if we must have a suburban-style circular tower, we can still use urban transportation tools to make the project fit better with the neighborhood functionally than it does architecturally.