FAIRFAX, Va. — (Editor's Note: The video above is a story from November, 2019)
Fairfax County might have fewer parking spaces sometime in the future when you're cruising around.
The project, called "Parking Reimagined," is being considered by the county's board of supervisors and cites the rise of telework and online shopping with the decrease in drivers who will need fewer spots.
The proposal also cites the expansion of Metrorail services for the lowered need for parking, as well as an increase in walkable communities.
The project aims to evaluate and "modernize" the county's current parking requirements.
"It is recognized that driving a car will continue to be a common activity and that parking will continue to be necessary," the proposal states. "However, parking should be considered with other community and personal values."
The other values include "equity, convenience, environment, affordability, economics and placemaking," all of which they say are outlined in the county's strategic plan initiatives for the year.
The proposal states that outdated parking requirements can limit the ability to update buildings and provide for additional reinvestment opportunities that would benefit the community, the proposal states.
Outdated parking can also inhibit efforts to improve sidewalks, trails and transit options, it states, and essentially create "an uninviting pedestrian environment."
Too much parking can also have adverse environmental impacts, including less space, increased impacts from storm water runoff and more artificial heat islands, according to the proposal.
Heat islands can be an issue in neighborhoods, as WUSA9 has previously reported, due to what's known as the “urban heat island effect.” Paved, dark surfaces absorb and radiate more heat than natural landscapes with trees and grass, driving up local temperatures.
Annandale is already among Fairfax County Virginia’s hottest heat islands, according to an interactive map produced by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission in 2021.
However, the parking reduction proposal does highlight that public opinion is being sought and considered in this process and that a lack of sufficient parking could also cause issues.
There will be upcoming community engagement meetings so that anyone can share their opinion on the proposal. Dates have yet to be established and will be listed on the proposal website when determined.
The full proposal is a three-tiered plan that considers parking in all areas, starting with low-density communities (which comprise most of the county, the plan says) and finishing with high-density spaces in the final stage.
It's not the first time Fairfax County has reconsidered its use of parking spaces.
The county considered and ultimately implemented slashing spaces at malls, which analysts have said for years are seeing fewer shoppers across the country.
In an analysis paid for by the county, it found less than 65 percent of available parking spaces on mall sites were used during peak shopping hours.
The report said repurposing unused parking lots would reduce environmental impacts and better utilize the property.
“An oversupply of parking is an inefficient use of land resources and creates environmental, design, and aesthetic issues,” the report said.
Tysons Corner Mall and Springfield Town Center approved plans for redevelopment that utilize surface parking.
In 2019, supervisors approved the changes in the county's minimum-parking requirements to permit regional malls to provide at least 2.5 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area, down from four.
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