The Department of City Planning (DCP) is proposing to revise the zoning regulations governing off-street parking in the Manhattan Core, which is comprised of Manhattan Community Districts 1-8, south of 96th Street on the East Side and below 110th Street on the West Side (excluding Governor’s Island and Roosevelt Island). In the area subject to the special Hudson Yards parking regulations (portions of the Special Hudson Yards District, the Special Garment Center District and the Special Clinton District, in Community Districts 4 and 5), certain provisions of the proposal would apply. The Manhattan Core already has the most progressive parking regulations in the country with no minimum parking requirement, and with limitations on the amount of permitted parking, however, the Manhattan Core Public Parking Study (2011), identified recent trends in off-street parking as well as a number of deficiencies in the 30-year old existing parking regulations.
The Department is now proposing targeted improvements to these existing off-street parking regulations to ensure that the right amount of parking spaces is being provided to support Manhattan Core businesses, residents and visitors while also addressing the city’s sustainability objectives to encourage public transit and reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The proposal would:
- Strengthen the special permit process by requiring that special permit requests for parking above the maximum as-of-right limits demonstrate a specific need for additional parking spaces in the absence of adequate parking facilities in the immediate area. These new criteria would allow communities, the Borough President, the City Planning Commission and City Council to better determine if the additional parking is justified.
- Promote pedestrian safety with new layout and design requirements for new parking facilities.
- Recognize current practice by allowing all new facilities to provide public parking within the maximum amounts allowed today, thereby meeting the needs of both neighborhood residents and visitors.
- Establish regulations for automated parking facilities for the first time in New York City.
- Provide greater flexibility for rental cars and other small commercial vans and vehicles to park in public garages.
The text amendment was informed by the Manhattan Core Public Parking Study (2011), that identified recent trends in off-street parking as well as a number of deficiencies in the existing parking regulation.
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