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

Brooklyn Judge Lets Eric Adams Rip Up Bedford Avenue Protected Bike Lane

The mayor's move to rip up the bike lane did not require advanced notification, Judge Carolyn Walker-Diallo ruled.

Universal Daylighting Has Majority Support on the City Council — Will Speaker Adams Give It a Vote?

Adrienne Adams is sitting on a landmark daylighting bill that could make every intersection safer for pedestrians.

July 9, 2025

‘Anti-Car Crusade’: Dinowitzes Slam Bronx Harlem River Greenway Bike Lane Touted by Mayor

The father-son duo are throwing a tantrum over the first leg of Mayor Adams's Harlem River Greenway.

July 8, 2025

Eyes on the Street: DOT’s ‘Broadway Vision’ Starts to Clear Up

The Department of Transportation has transformed Broadway into a new corridor for pedestrians and cyclists.

July 8, 2025

Amsterdam Leads the Way on E-Bike Regulation — Should New York Follow Suit?

The city's biking- and walking-friendly streets expose the hypocrisy harsh e-bike enforcement without better street design.

July 8, 2025
See all posts