Originally posted on June 23, 2021. Last Updated on June 7, 2022. This is an ongoing development, please refer back for updates.
Greenbelt Alliance is proud to partner with and supports the City of San José as they undergo the process of updating their parking standards for new development—a policy that hasn’t significantly changed since 1965. The changes under consideration include eliminating parking requirements in most areas of the city as well as new transportation demand management (TDM) requirements in new development. Learn more here.
The primary purpose of the combined changes to the City’s parking and TDM requirements is to reduce vehicle miles traveled generated by future development projects by requiring more on-site transportation amenities and improvements. These changes would provide more opportunities for a building’s tenants to get around without the use of their cars, thereby reducing traffic congestion and demand for parking. It can also support affordable housing goals by reducing development costs and rents.
As part of this two-year policy update process (2019 – 2021), City staff and the project’s technical and engagement partners will evaluate existing parking, equity, and development issues in San José; review parking and TDM policies implemented in other cities, and engage with residents and community stakeholders on this topic.
We prepared a summary of resources for you to stay informed about the benefits of these changes:
Ask Decision-makers To Approve
On June 8th, the parking and TDM policies will go to the Planning Commission and, on June 21st, the City Council will hold a decisive vote. This process has been years in the making and now it’s finally San Jose’s opportunity to modernize its parking policy to accelerate climate action and housing affordability!
Ahead of these important votes, we urge you to support this policy and write to the City of San Jose’s Planning Commission and City Council. We made this EASY for you: in a few simple steps, you can send emails to decision-makers telling them WHY it’s so important to approve this policy!
Participate In Upcoming Meetings
This June, both the City of San José’s Planning Commission and City Council will hold decisive votes to approve the Parking And Transportation Demand Management Standards Update. This has been years in the making and now is the opportunity to make an impact.
- June 8, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. – Planning Commission Meeting
- June 14, 2022 – City Council Meeting
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
We prepared an FAQ to solve the most common doubts about this process. Read through and share with people who might be interested:
- FAQ
- More context is available in this blogpost.
- Check out this interview for NBC Bay Area
- Check out the story on Mercury News
Watch Past Community Workshops
The City of San José and partners, including Greenbelt Alliance and Veggielution, carried out an engagement process with city residents, the development community, and other stakeholders through Summer 2021.
If you are interested in learning more about how these changes will affect you and your community, watch the community engagement workshops we organized in 2021:
- Watch the recording of the first community workshop, which took place on June 24, here.
- Watch the recording of the first community workshop, which took place on July 22, here.
Watch Past Webinars
Watch the Saving Millions with Smart Parking and Transportation Strategies, hosted by Greenbelt Alliance in partnership with TransForm and SV@Home in 2022.
Watch the Parking Reform for Climate Smart Cities, hosted by Greenbelt Alliance in 2020, to understand more of the context.
Stay Connected for more updates
- Find more on the City of San José’s website.
- Subscribe to our newsletters to receive invitations for the next steps in the process.
