Community Corner

Stamford Downtown Services Promotes Parking Improvement Plan

The Downtown Stamford Special Services District is actively pushing a parking improvement plan that seeks to reduce the number of downtown's unused parking spaces.

, responsible for popular local events such as , have become active in trying to fix perceived flaws in downtown parking.

"We have decades of experience monitoring and managing parking in downtown Stamford, and we've come to the conclusion that the requirements of zoning exceed the demand of the housing in the downtown core area," DSSD's planning expert told Patch at a Dec. 20, 2011 meeting of Stamford's planning board at the . "We don't have our parking requirements in-synch with our parking needs for residential."

DSSD president Sandy Goldstein was present for December's meeting, the second that DSSD has attended in order to have their proposed amendments to city parking codes approved. If DSSD's unnamed plan is approved, there will be changes to open space parking and open space parking requirements in downtown Stamford. 

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"...By requiring more spaces that are needed, you are making housing less affordable for the high cost of parking," DSSD's planning expert said. "What we've proposed is that we start with a very flexible plan at a base of one parking spot per unit...and depending on the size of the unit and the location of the unit and potential to share parking, you come in with a parking management plan that says 'Here's my right size'," DSSD's planning expert said.

During the meeting Goldstein elaborated on the plan from a developer's point of view, suggesting that local developers could save up to $32 million through improved downtown parking.

Find out what's happening in Stamfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We have, in downtown, identified 20,000 spaces that Stamford has available that the city leases out to public and private garages. We have lots of extra spaces, we have city garages that struggle to pay for themselves because they're not being used at night on a consistent basis," DSSD's planning expert said.

According to DSSD, the new plan would also involve apartment buildings and office buildings being able to share parking under certain circumstances.

DSSD will go before Stamford's Planning Board for the third time later in Jan. with the hopes of obtaining approval.


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