Tell City Leaders to Prioritize Housing, Not Pavement

---

The housing market in St Pete is like a cruel game of musical chairs. There aren't enough homes, so people of modest incomes are being squeezed out and forced to commute longer distances. 

The solution to this problem has to include building more housing, and more types of housing, especially in areas well served by transit like along the SunRunner corridor.

A simple way to accomplish this is to remove a wasteful rule that prevents more housing from being built: off-street parking mandates.

When a property owner wants to build on her land, the city currently requires her to build an arbitrary number of parking spaces, regardless of demand. This means less housing is built, and the homes that are built are more expensive because the cost of building excess parking is passed on to the consumer. Parking mandates act as a subsidy for drivers, which encourages more driving.

Removing parking mandates and allowing property owners to decide for themselves how much parking to build is a simple fix that will have huge benefits for generations to come.

✅ Housing affordability: homes will be more affordable because supply will increase and builders won't have to pay to construct excess parking lots.

✅ Traffic relief: traffic flow will improve because we're legalizing a development pattern that doesn't force people to drive. When people can afford to live closer to their jobs, vehicle miles traveled goes down.

✅ Better transit: transit service will improve because routes like the SunRunner will see ridership increase, generating fare-box income and justifying further public investments in fast, reliable service.

✅ Economic prosperity: local businesses will thrive because encouraging active transportation means more foot traffic.

✅ Environmental protection: encouraging active transportation decreases noise and air pollution. And having fewer parking lots allows better flood water management.

✅ Reducing poverty: by making it easier to get around without owning a car, households can save approximately $10,000 per year on average -- money that stays in St Pete.

✅ More independence: people who don't drive, like seniors, kids, and people with disabilities, will gain autonomy and dignity.

✅ Fiscal stability: converting surface parking to more productive uses will increase the city's tax base.

The city is currently updating the zoning code along the SunRunner corridor, but there's a massive flaw in the city's plan. The current draft includes wasteful parking mandates that undermine the whole purpose of the zoning changes. 

Under the city's plan, even properties across the street from SunRunner stations will be forced to build an arbitrary amount of off-street parking. We can't let this happen!