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4. Perpetuating the car-ownership burden on working families. When the built environment forces people to have a car just to live, car expenses become one of the greatest unavoidable expenses for working families, much more than any tax bill - and puts them at great financial risk when the car breaks down. San Leandro's heavy current requirements near transit - minimum 1 space even within a quarter mile of BART! - are also contrary to best practices by all agencies seeking to promote transit-oriented development: ● In the Bay Fair BART Transit-Oriented Development district (not covered by the draft multi-family standards), Sub-Area 1 has no minimum parking and maximum 1 space per unit. ●BART TOD guidelines recommend "no minimum parking requirement" near transit, and maximum 0.5 per unit in urban neighborhoods near transit, or maximum 1 per unit in town centers. ● The state Department of Housing and Community Development recommends parking maximums near transit of 1 to 1.75, depending on bedrooms and city type, and no parking minimums. Eliminating required parking does not mean eliminating all parking. Developers will certainly still choose to provide some amount of parking. However, they will be better able to plan for the significant chunk of people who are happy to live car-free. The city's Climate Action Plan, passed unanimously in July 2021, said explicitly that eliminating off-street parking requirements was a key strategy toward promoting a range of transportation options in the city of 2035. If we practice what we preach, we will take this first, moderate step toward reducing emissions and promoting affordable housing in San Leandro. * Chart on affordable homes (blue) and density-bonus homes (red) produced in San Diego. In 2019, San Diego strengthened its density bonus program and removed minimum parking requirements for all residential developments within transit priority areas. Source:Circulate San Diego 176