San Antonio has more parking lots than you can shake a stick at. But at what cost?
Published: Thu, 04/13/23
San Antonio has more parking lots than you can shake a stick at. But at what cost?
The San Antonio skyline looms over traffic U.S. 281 on Wednesday, May 20, 2020.
Billy Calzada/San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Express-News
Timothy Fanning, San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio boasts an impressive number of parking lots and garages, exceeding that of most major metropolitan areas across the country, according to the Parking Reform Network.
About 26 percent of downtown’s surface area is reserved for cars, compromising the city’s walkability, the nonprofit said.
The Parking Reform Network said that an abundant supply of parking infrastructure creates a scarcity of reusable land for other purposes. That can contribute to increased housing costs, lower population density and greater sprawl.
“It’s clear that if we want to have walkable cities, we need cities that are less parkable,” the Parking Reform Network said on its website.
"A low parking score means the city devotes much less land in its central neighborhoods to parking than the average," the study reads. "Conversely, a high score translates to more land dedicated to parking compared to the average for a city of that size."
Among the 50 cities analyzed, Arlington had the highest score and San Francisco had the lowest. Just 17 percent of downtown Austin is dedicated to parking lots or garages.
Lately, recently constructed parking garages in San Antonio and elsewhere are becoming more utilitarian structures. Some are being designed more thoughtfully, with security and ease of use for drivers at top of mind.
Some of these changes come from more stringent city zoning that requires amenities such as street-level retail and designs that blend with the surrounding neighborhood. But other changes are the result of clients' desire to put their best foot forward.
That trend can be seen in several buildings outside of downtown, including the Brackenridge Park Parking Garage near the Witte Museum, the Tobin Center Garage, the new San Antonio Zoo garage on Tuleta Drive and a planned garage at the University Health System Women’s and Children’s Hospital in the Medical Center.
On average, 20 percent of all land in city centers analyzed by the Parking Reform Network was dedicated solely to parking.
“This parking is often clustered around main streets, office districts and historic cores, creating a barrier around the city’s most valuable and walkable areas that limits residential and commercial growth,” the nonprofit said.
timothy.fanning@express-news.net