Zoning for Parking and Loading

Overview
Project Goals
Upcoming Events
Resources

Overview

The BPDA’s Transportation and Zoning Reform Teams are reviewing regulations and design for off-street parking and loading throughout the zoning code. Today, off-street parking and loading is regulated in many different places throughout the Code, and is often antiquated and contradictory with other policies across City departments like the Boston Transportation Department (BTD) and the Public Works Department (PWD). Regulations also differ across all scales of proposed projects, from small renovations of businesses and homes, to Article 80 Small and Large Projects.

This reform effort will evaluate how zoning regulations align with Citywide policies and goals related to climate resiliency, affordability, housing affordability, multimodal accessibility, pedestrian safety, and urban design.

Project Goals

Regulatory Streamlining

  • Lessen financial, regulatory, and design barriers to housing and small business creation
  • Reconcile contradictory policies across City departments and project scales

Climate Resiliency

  • Reduce the amount of impervious surfaces throughout the City
  • Protect landscaped green space and increase greenery
  • Create opportunities for stormwater treatment and infiltration for parking lots
  • Increase access to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure
  • Reduce impacts of excessive heat

Multimodal Safety & Access

  • Prioritize safety of pedestrians through and around driveways and parking lots
  • Encourage bicycle use as a mode of transportation by promoting secure parking facilities

Design

  • Provide appropriate site design standards to mitigate the impacts of surface parking, parking structures, and loading bays
  • on the public realm and neighboring land uses
  • Provide specifications for vehicular access to sites, including curb cuts and driveways

Parking/Loading Demand and Supply

  • Allow for the appropriate amount of parking needed for both small and large projects
  • Ensure that vehicle parking and loading is using space most efficiently
  • Allow for efficient shared parking opportunities to support multiple land uses

Upcoming Events

Public Meetings

More engagement details to come in late April 2024.

Resources