Amount of bicycle parking spaces required for affordable housing developments could be waived or reduced. On March 4, 2009, the City Planning Commission approved, with several modifications, the Department of City Planning’s proposed bicycle parking text amendment. The amendment would require developers to provide secure, enclosed bicycle parking facilities in new buildings, enlargements of buildings of 50 percent or more, and conversions to residential use.

Although the Commission expressed support for the proposal, it believed revisions were necessary to address concerns raised during its February 4th public hearing. 6 CityLand 25 (March 15, 2009). The Commission modified the text to allow affordable housing developers to allocate less space, or no space at all, for bicycle parking that would otherwise be required. The reduction or waiver would apply to cases where the development lacked space for the required number of parking spaces, the additional space could not reasonably be constructed based on the amount of financing available, and the reduction was the minimum necessary to address financial limitations. The Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development would be required to make these three findings before Buildings could grant the waiver or reduction.

The Commission also amended the plan as it related to dormitories. The amendment had originally called for one parking space for every five dormitory beds, but the Commission changed the requirement to one parking space per 2,000 sq.ft. after Buildings expressed concern that enforcement of the proposed per-bed requirement would be challenging.

The Council has until April 27, 2009 to vote on the application.

Review Process
Lead Agency: CPC,Neg.Dec.
Comm.Bd.: Citywide, 19 App’d, 4 Den’d
Boro.Pres.: Citywide, 1 App’d
BK Boro. Bd.: App’d, 16-3-5
SI Boro. Bd.:Den’d, 3-2
CPC: App’d, 12-0-0
Council: Pending

CPC: Bicycle Parking (N 090191 ZRY – text amend.) (March 4, 2009). CITYADMIN