Tomorrow, Provo City Council is set to vote on three amendments that would allow developers to decrease the number of parking spots in commercial and multifamily developments, such as apartment buildings or townhomes, by 50%.
This decrease in required parking would apply to the area around BYU campus and within a quarter mile of all bus stations in Provo.
Currently, the minimum required number of parking spaces is 1.5 for one bedroom and studio apartments and 2.25 spaces for 2-3 bedroom apartments. These amendments would decrease those requirements to 0.75 spaces for one bedroom apartments and 1.125 spaces for 2-3 bedroom apartments, regardless of the number of people living in each unit.
Advocates of these amendments believe that these changes will reduce traffic congestion, allow more student housing to be developed, and incentivize students to seek alternate modes of transportation. Critics argue the move will lead to more congestion as increased housing attracts more students.
We spoke with students at BYU about the proposed change. Jackson, a junior in Middle East Studies and Arabic, told the Chronicle, “I don’t want to bike. I want to park.”
He continued, “we live in a country where public transportation is not reasonably sustainable unless you’re in a megacity. Students want to be able to drive. I can’t bike to South Jordan to see my parents. I think [Mayor Judkins] is not keeping her constituents in mind.”
When reaching out to several city council members for comment, Councilwoman Katrice MacKay responded, “Some in the city have said they believe we have to choose -- it is either housing or parking and that students can’t have both. I believe that students CAN have both. That myopic thought of one or the other only benefits developers and landlords. We owe it to all of our citizens to make sure their quality of life isn’t affected by a false premise that we can only have one or the other.”
The Provo City planning commission has not sought input from any students or student organizations before proposing these amendments to the City Council, and much of their information comes from housing developers.
Students and community members interested in commenting on this issue can attend the City Council meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, June 23 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting and proceeding vote will take place in the City Hall.
The Cougar Chronicle has not received a response for comment from the mayor or the planning commission. We will continue to provide updates as this story develops.
