Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think Minervah made some good points. And I believe it was your local paper who did that survey. Take it up with them if you're unhappy with it.
There has to be some number. 1 per unit is simple to apply. It works for SF house rentals, houses that are subdivided into 2 apts, etc.
What about units with two bedrooms, should they be required two spots because there might be more than one person driving in that unit? Just because one for one is simple math doesn't mean it is the correct math.
As for that survey, there is no need to take it up with the paper because they aren't the ones posting on this site, but you did reference his post about it.
I don't think there is any one size fits all solution or minimum for parking spots in apartment buildings. In Seattle they required buildings during a boom in the past to all have a certain amount of parking spots, now they have garages that are only partially being used with excess space that in the end was just a waste of money for the developers. That is a cost that could have been avoided.
What about units with two bedrooms, should they be required two spots because there might be more than one person driving in that unit? Just because one for one is simple math doesn't mean it is the correct math.
As for that survey, there is no need to take it up with the paper because they aren't the ones posting on this site, but you did reference his post about it.
I don't think there is any one size fits all solution or minimum for parking spots in apartment buildings. In Seattle they required buildings during a boom in the past to all have a certain amount of parking spots, now they have garages that are only partially being used with excess space that in the end was just a waste of money for the developers. That is a cost that could have been avoided.
With two bed rooms the other room could be used an an office, could be used by Children too young to own an car and so on. The only way that the 2nd bedroom will have an driver is if it is an case of room mates or guest and both could be accommodated if there is an spot on the street not taken up by other residents.
Developers try to get the ratio right, when they're allowed to. If they do too few spaces, they don't get good rents. If they do too many they waste money. So they try to do a little more than they think is necessary to get high rents and not have a parking problem. Seattle highrises (generally rentals) typically go up with ratios like 0.6 or 0.8 parking spaces per unit, and sometimes quite a bit lower or none at all. And they rent well because a lot of people don't have cars.
In any case, residents tend to figure it out. If they have a car and parking isn't available, they won't live there. Others can take the discount, which can easily be a couple hundred per month.
It's way more complicated than that of course. For example: A project might pencil with 400 apartments and 250 parking spaces, with underground parking costing $40,000 per space to develop, and land costing $50,000 per unit (half-acre, $1000 per foot). But let's say you're required to have more parking or choose to. If you go another floor down, due to shoring or water table the added parking might cost far more per space, like $60,000. Maybe you end up adding the parking and charging higher rents to everybody, or maybe you cut the project to 300 units and 250 parking spaces. Except now land is $72,000 per unit (plus financing costs etc.). Either way it's tough to make the project pencil. Luckily you don't need to do either because 250 spaces is probably plenty.
This is a particular line that drives me up a wall: that misses the reality that that commerce--UPS, FedEx, long-haul trucks, etc.--is paid for by the end user via the prices paid for goods. It doesn't make sense that someone who makes no use of our interstates should see some of their taxes, outside of the gas tax if they are subject to it, pay for that interstate. If the interstate is so vital to commerce, let the market absorb the full cost of it through tolls and gas taxes.
EXACTLY
Let those that use the public streets for walking and bicycles chip in too.
What really drives me up the wall is people without kids or kids in private schools paying up to 50% of their property tax to fund public schools.
One interesting tidbit is much of Highway 5 in California was funded to provide a rapid inland route for military mobilization...
Walking and bicyling would be fine with 5% of the paved area, or maybe 20% in Manhattan. We're not costing anything.
Actually we pay as much in taxes as anyone. The money we don't spend on driving ends up going to other stuff, and we pay taxes on that. So should we get discounts for college tuition or something?
In fact, in my state much of the transportation spending is from non-auto sources. I walk to work, and aside from my tiny share of trucking etc., I don't cost anyone anything road-wise. So are refunds being handed out?
I don't have kids but am happy to pay for schools. It's part of being a good citizen.
Let those that use the public streets for walking and bicycles chip in too.
What really drives me up the wall is people without kids or kids in private schools paying up to 50% of their property tax to fund public schools.
One interesting tidbit is much of Highway 5 in California was funded to provide a rapid inland route for military mobilization...
Aren't public streets used for walkig and biking mostly paid for by property taxes? Doesn't everyone who isn't homeless pay for those in way or another? How are they not chipping in?
If you want a strict accounting of everything I guess that's a tall order but at least consistent. It doesn't make sense to only worry about who pays how much for certain things, like roads, but neglect that we're all paying for stuff we don't really use. Many people only want taxes to be "fair" in areas where they think they pay too much like roads and schools. With progressive income taxes total taxation will almost never be related to actual use.
Exactly... there are many things I pay for that I simply do not use... both in Gas Taxes and Property Taxes and I'm sure with Sales Taxes too.
For decades California vehicle owners in my county have been paying for roadside call boxes... well, just about every last one has been removed...
On my property taxes I have to pay for the Oakland Stadium renovation for the Raiders... I have never been to a Raider game in my life or any other event at the Stadium or Coliseum... I did attend the Oakland Roadster show each year with a long history as the premier car show in the West until it got the boot.
The Doctor's parking lot at the Hospital is full of Electric and Hybrid vehicles with carpool stickers... Tesla, Leaf, BMW, etc... not just using the highways but also getting special benefits and buying no fuel...
It goes further in that about half charge their electric vehicles from solar arrays they own and received significant tax advantages...
Then there is the fee on registrations for California parks...
I know what it is like to live in a rural area with gravel in dirt roads... anyone that hasn't should think about what it is like to walk or bike in the mud or even washboard roads...
As to road resurfacing... the surface streets in Oakland are on some 100+ year average schedule for paving...
The streets where I grew up where last paved in 1957... or 60 years ago with no paving plan on the schedule... AND what tears them up is not homeowners driving to and from, but, it is the huge Waste Management Garbage Trucks... especially when they turn because the rear tires rip out the gravel from the roadbed.
I would love to live near my grocery store, the doctor's etc. but most towns are not set up to be conducive to not having a car. Now Publix is building a store 1/2 mile from me and I will make use of that and walk most days.
Yup! The bus is really speedy from my neighborhood. Basically it hops on the freeway, into the carpool lane. This saves a lot of time at the toll plaza. Usually clocks in at 20-25 minutes. On a slow day it is 30 minutes. The bus is across the street from my apartment. So door to door time to office is 30-35 minutes.
Ah, NYC doesn't have many carpool lanes so I didn't think of that.
Quote:
The problem is muni has so many stops, actual travel time is terrible. And there is little dedicated infrastructure for transit in SF. SF has prioritized cars over all modes, encouraging people to get in their cars.
Yea, it could use some stop consolidation, I think they've been doing some of that recently. I think you're bashing San Francisco unfairly;all American cities have done similar. The difference is San Francisco unlike Boston, Philly or Chicago never built a subway to denser neighborhoods. Well, there's BART to Mission. San Francisco seems to run it's bus system in a more efficient manner than Boston, and seems to be trying improvements (signal priority, proof of payment and more).
I know what it is like to live in a rural area with gravel in dirt roads... anyone that hasn't should think about what it is like to walk or bike in the mud or even washboard roads...
This road was horrible to bike on:
Spoiler
Quote:
As to road resurfacing... the surface streets in Oakland are on some 100+ year average schedule for paving...
The streets where I grew up where last paved in 1957... or 60 years ago with no paving plan on the schedule... AND what tears them up is not homeowners driving to and from, but, it is the huge Waste Management Garbage Trucks... especially when they turn because the rear tires rip out the gravel from the roadbed.
No way that roads could last here with all the salt and winter freeze/thaw. Recent harsh winters have done to damage to local towns budgets.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
