More parking spaces will become available for Tenleytown drivers if the D.C. City Council passes a bill curbing spillover traffic from new construction projects.
The Neighborhood Parking Protection Act of 2013 would ban construction companies from issuing parking permits to future tenants, preserving already-scarce street parking for current residents.
“[R]esidents are increasingly concerned that tenants of new developments are not utilizing parking infrastructure - below ground and off street - that the city often requires new development plans to include,” said Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells in a June 4 press release.
The bill is also a response to a standoff between development company Douglas Development Corporation (DDC) and the Ward 3 Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC).
ANC allowed the company to build a new retail building at the site of the abandoned Babe’s Billiards on Wisconsin Avenue last year, The Washington City Paper reported.
However, city representatives worried DDC would not complete the project without building new parking spaces, the report said.
Joe Wisniewski, School of Public Affairs senior and ANC 3D10 Commissioner, said the bill would force construction companies to honor their contracts with the city.
“If it weren’t for this bill, the parking bans wouldn’t have any teeth,” he said.
Wisniewski said transportation is a crucial issue for Tenleytown, which merges traffic from Virginia and Maryland.
By discouraging driving, the bill also balances economic growth and sustainable development as more people move to the city, Wisniewski said.
“You want to give [new residents] options so they don’t have to bring a car,” he said.
lsandoval@theeagleonline.com
