Reducing Surface Parking

Figure 6C: Spectrum of Walkability Improvements

The TLC area is dominated by automobile traffic and large surface parking lots, which create an unfriendly environment for pedestrians—most of the area’s shopping center parking lots do not include designated spaces for people traveling on foot, who must walk across large lots to reach shops. The existing high volume of vehicular traffic and the associated parking necessary to support these vehicles degrade the dynamic, pedestrian-focused vision for TLC as a transit-oriented center. Limited street and surface parking can be better managed to support more use with less space by designating certain areas for loading and unloading goods and for people who are mobility impaired. M-NCPPC is currently undertaking a parking study of TLC, with a goal of better understanding the area’s parking needs and identifying opportunities for more efficient use of parking. To realize the vision for the area as a TOD center, it will be important to prioritize the development of active uses on land close to the Purple Line Stations. This transit-adjacent development will create opportunities for visitors, employees, and residents in the area to use transit and other active modes of transportation, as opposed to having to drive. This is particularly critical in the TLC study area, which is dominated by the large, car-oriented scale of University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue, and is in keeping with the County’s vision to concentrate activity and promote connectivity within the Core.

Within the LTO-C zone, the standard for lot coverage is 65–100 percent, meaning up to 35 percent of the net lot area may be dedicated to other uses like loading areas or parking. For most uses, there are no minimum off-street parking requirements in the Core. The maximum number of off-street parking spaces for development is 125 percent of the minimum requirements for the LTO-E (Edge) zoned areas. Structured parking spaces do not count toward the maximum; parking garages, or floors in mixeduse buildings dedicated to parking, can provide parking without negatively affecting the active uses desired at street level.