The zoning regulations will be discussed on Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. – Subtitle C (General Procedures, including parking, bike parking, loading) .
The District first adopted bicycle parking requirements in the Zoning Regulations in 1984 (Title 11 DCMR, § 2119). The zoning requirements are fairly minimal, in that they:
- Only apply to office, retail, and service uses, and do not apply to residential buildings;
- Are directly linked to a percentage of required automobile parking spaces (and thus have little to no effect where little or no automobile parking is required);
- Even where automobile parking is required, set a low standard (5% of required car spaces);
- Make no distinctions between bike parking for short-term vs. long-term visitors (by implication, the standards are oriented toward long-term users such as employees);
- Have minimal standards for security, accessibility, and usability; and
- Have unclear provisions regarding relief or exemptions from the requirements
In response to these gaps/deficiencies, OP (assisted by its consultant, Nelson\Nygaard) proposed more robust standards as part of the Zoning Regulations Review (ZRR). Initial recommendations were published in OP reports developed through the ZRR Parking Working Group in 2008, and were subsequently refined and published as draft regulations to be adopted as part of the new zoning code. The Zoning Commission took “final action” on the proposed bike parking regulations (published as Title 11, Subtitle B, Chapter 16) on April 25, 2011, in ZC Order 08-06-C. However, since the new zoning code is still a work in progress and many issues remain to be resolved, the order has not taken effect. In order to be fully effective, the adopted bike parking chapter will need some minor revisions as the new zoning code is completed. OP proposed one adjustment (to the requirement for residential uses) in an updated chapter that was included in a complete draft of the new code, delivered to the Zoning Commission in July 2013.
Here's more.
In addition, OP has proposed a new provision to require mitigation for vehicle parking that is provided significantly in excess of the minimum parking requirement. If a project provides more than 150% of the required number of parking spaces, the developer must mitigate the impacts of that over-parking through Transportation Demand Management measures. Qualifying measures could include bike parking spaces in excess of the minimum number required, and the provision of new Capital Bikeshare stations on- or off-site.
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