Open Plans, Inc.

Lifting parking mandates citywide is the key piece for City of Yes to achieve its urgently needed goal of 108,000 new units. If we don't lift parking mandates in all of NYC, it will be like pulling out a jenga piece and letting the whole thing fall down. We cannot let this happen! Keeping parking requirements would be especially damaging to affordable housing production. Lifting parking mandates in the Transit Zone led to a 36% increase in building affordable housing. Now we can do the same in the entire city. But if we keep parking mandates, we risk losing that 36% more affordable development, which would mean thousands of new units. With just a few weeks left before City Council votes on a final version of this historic text amendment, our most recent blog outlines the numbers behind our push to lift parking mandates citywide. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eFdgUe-9

????????♀?????♂?Parking mandates create a vicious cycle of car-dependence that makes our neighborhoods less connected, walkable, and livable. ??Requiring space for parking ?? more garages and lots per neighborhood ??less dense and vibrant streetscapes ?? less walkable streets ?? more cars are needed ?? more parking & car infrastructure is demanded ?? And this cycle repeats itself over and over and over… Car dependence is not the only drawback to parking mandates! rents are higher??, business growth is smaller??, streets are unsafe??, and the environment is worse?? because of our prioritization of parking spots above all else. We can break this cycle in every neighborhood by lifting parking mandates with City of Yes! ??Use this link to send a letter telling your Council Member that you support lifting this archaic zoning rule in the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity text amendment. We only have a few days left so act today. https://lnkd.in/eKH3NmsT

Join us on Monday, Nov 18 at 10AM in City Hall Park as we rally for City of Yes and lifting parking mandates! Time is running out so let’s show up and make our voices heard! We hope to see you there!

We’ve won today, and we can win again. Congestion pricing is moving forward?in New York City, and with it, our streets can become safer and less congested, our transit more accessible and reliable, and our city more livable. Thank you for taking action—through rallies, phone calls, tweets, and letters, you helped show the governor that New Yorkers across the city support congestion pricing. The fight, however, is not over. Now, more than ever, we must demand the full elimination of parking mandates citywide as part of City of Yes. This is a crucial step to ensure its success and build thousands more housing units across the city. We hope to soon be celebrating the end of parking mandates citywide, but until then, we urge you to keep up the fight and continue taking action. Send a letter or make a call TODAY!

Let's make something clear – lifting parking mandates will not get rid of parking, nor will it stop developers from building it when needed. “City of Yes doesn’t get rid of parking. It simply eliminates arbitrary requirements, allowing developers to include parking where it’s necessary and exclude it where it isn’t.” Today New Yorkers pay the price of parking mandates with higher rents to cover the cost of constructing parking spaces most of them don’t even use. Parking mandates also raise the cost of housing by reducing the number of units each building can build, rent, or sell. It increases rents by 17%, and reduces the opportunity for building more affordable housing, which we urgently need. Read more: https://bit.ly/3AwghrG

?School streets? limit cars off the street in front of or near a school building, it can help transform how students, their parents, and their educators experience the environment around their school. ?????? Some use ?school streets? to restrict car access during hectic arrival and departure times??????, others use it for recess??, outdoor learning??, neighborhood events or assemblies??, and more! Reclaiming street space from cars keeps our children safer and provides them the freedom to move and think freely ????????. Join Open Plans and Kids Over Cars as we show you how you can bring School streets to your kid’s school! ??: November 21, 2024 ?: 7:30 PM ET RSVP here: https://bit.ly/4fdeJlK

More parking = More congestion ???? It might sound counterintuitive, but studies show that people make transportation choices based on their surroundings. More parking spaces lead to more car ownership and driving. In contrast, fewer parking options lead to fewer cars, and more walking????♂?, biking????, buses?? and subways??. This shift is good for our communities????????, our climate?? AND even the drivers who do need to be on the road ??. Everyone wants less congestion. Ending the zoning rules that require new parking in every new building will help us get there. Lift parking mandates in City of Yes!

Halloween reveals what makes cities truly livable - walkable neighborhoods where community connections thrive. While 'Trunk or Treat' shows what car culture has taken from us, NYC's Trick-or-Streets demonstrate a different possibility: streets transformed into spaces for joy and connection. Beyond October 31st, these pedestrianized spaces hint at a broader vision: imagine neighborhoods where streets regularly host Thanksgiving potlucks, spring festivals, or simple daily gatherings. When our public spaces prioritize people over cars, they nurture the connections that make cities feel like home. ??

From ??Dutch Kills Green to ??Court Square Park and ??Smiling Hogshead Ranch, the Long Island City Partnership team gave us an insightful peek into their district's diverse spaces. We got to explore everything, from industrial?? and commercial?? to residential?? and cultural?? spaces. And now, we are even more excited to see their continued work strengthening this authentic mixed-use community and championing vibrant public spaces as they double their coverage area, delivering enhanced services to even more corners of the neighborhood. Dylan Brown , Angelica Hart, Henry Smith

The people of New York have spoken! ?? 74% support lifting parking mandates citywide.? 81% support all the City of Yes proposals for more housing and neighborhood density. ?? Many cities across the county (such as Buffalo, San Francisco, and Minneapolis) have lifted parking mandates, successfully reducing housing cost and increasing housing production while still allowing for parking where needed. ???????♀??? When we put people over parking, we get lower rents, safer streets, more vibrant neighborhoods, and a healthier planet. Lifting parking mandates does not ban any new parking, it simply does not require that new buildings include new parking where it’s not otherwise needed or wanted. It puts the choice and freedom back in the hands of people. ???? Source: A survey conducted by Slingshot Strategies of 900 registered voters in New York City from Oct. 11 through Oct. 15, 2024