Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
mattsmith.JPG

 

Taking a graphic, novel approach, SF Weekly reports on a ballot initiative that it says would reverse San Francisco's progress in prioritizing people over parking.

"Aparkalypse Now" says the initiative, backed by Gap clothing store founder Don Fisher and condo developer Webcor, is being promoted as a way to save downtown San Francisco from gridlock by raising the number of parking spaces allowed for residential development. Without the additional parking spaces, supporters claim, industry will eventually flee for more car-friendly locales, leaving San Francisco a "no parking ghost town."

However, says the Weekly's Matt Smith:

Fisher's so-called "Parking for Neighborhoods Initiative" wouldn't dovery much to make it easier to park in the city. But if successful, itwould go a long way toward making it harder to get around by car, bus,on foot, or by bike. It would eliminate new affordable housing all overthe city. And it would contribute significantly to congestion, to urbanugliness, and to smog.

Here's more from the Bay-Guardian:

Under the proposal, new housing projects throughout the city would berequired to provide a minimum number of parking spaces per unit,whereas the 2005 law turned parking minimums into maximums. Studieshave shown that the city's existing policies will lower housing costsand encourage transit use, but developers oppose the law because theysay homes with parking spots are what buyers want and are willing topay extra for.

Image: Matt Smith/SF Weekly 

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

‘Goddamn Outrageous’: MTA Boss Blames Amtrak For Delaying ‘Penn Access’ Expansion

Janno Lieber lit into Amtrak for delays to Metro-North's Penn Station Access project: "The people in Co-op City are waiting for a goddamn train!"

October 7, 2025

Brooklyn Still Choked by Placard Elite Leaving Their Cars Everywhere With No Consequences

Drivers park illegally — often with city-issued placards — and virtually none ever gets ticketed by cops.

October 7, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Rock and Roll Never Forgets Edition

Why was our house band, Jimmy and the Jaywalkers, snubbed from the journalists' "battle of the bands" on Wednesday night? Plus other news.

October 7, 2025

Likely Mayor Mamdani Supports Daylighting as DOT Digs In Heels

The next mayor will have to overcome a deeply entrenched bureaucracy opposed to the common-sense policy.

October 6, 2025

Under Pressure: Uber’s Navigation System Endangers the Public With Reckless Driving Directions

An Uber driver made an illegal u-turn and hit someone, but the in-app navigation told him to do it and the company won't give up the code.

October 6, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Trump Games Continue Edition

Trump restored some security grant for New York, but billions of dollars in grants remain on ice. Plus more news.

October 6, 2025
See all posts