Zoning 2.0 Survey #2 Recommendations: Parking!
This survey deadline has passed.
Sign Our Petition to tell our Planning Commissioner to prioritize increasing the total number of homes, increasing affordability, and promoting pedestrian-friendly policies in this zoning rewrite!
The City of Atlanta is asking for your input in its Zoning rewrite AGAIN. This time, they're asking about car and bike parking. Our parking standards directly impact cost of new homes AND our pedestrian infrastructure!
So we asked some experts to help us complete the survey with the goal of identifying responses that will prioritize increasing the total number of homes, increasing affordability, and promoting pedestrian-friendly policies.
Below are Abundant Housing Atlanta's recommendations for how to respond to the survey based on our values. This is organized by the "theme," question number, the question, and the answer options. We have bolded and written in red our recommendations for those answers. For some questions, we don't have a recommendation! This could be because we were split internally, the question isn't relevant to affordability (so outside of our scope), or the answer depends on other factors. We have also included some recommendations for what to include in the many questions that say "Please leave additional comments below." This is because the questions don't always make a lot of sense! So we want to clarify our answers.
We hope this guide is helpful to you in filling out the survey! Please share with your friends!
The survey asks what NPU you live in: find your NPU here.
Theme I: Parking Requirements
I1. Do you have any ideas for updating vehicle and bicycle parking standards to better meet Atlanta's existing and future needs?
Remove maximum bicycle parking limits. Allow for vehicle parking reductions when additional bicycle parking is provided beyond minimum bicycle parking requirements.
I2. Which of the following vehicle parking options for housing should the new Zoning Ordinance include? Select all that apply.
Require vehicle parking everywhere.
Require vehicle parking in areas without good transit service.
Require vehicle parking in areas that are not walkable or bikeable.
Do not require vehicle parking for some types of housing, such as senior housing or affordable housing.
Do not require vehicle parking for small housing developments (Note: "small" is not yet defined)
Do not require vehicle parking anywhere.
Other (write in)
I3. Which of the following vehicle parking options for businesses should the new Zoning Ordinance include? Select all that apply:
Require vehicle parking everywhere.
Require vehicle parking in areas without good transit service.
Require vehicle parking in areas that are not walkable or bikeable.
Do not require vehicle parking for small-sized businesses
Do not require vehicle parking anywhere.
Other (write in)
I4. How should the new Zoning Ordinance handle the capping of allowable parking on a lot?
Select all that apply:
Cap vehicle parking everywhere.
Cap vehicle parking in areas with good transit service (existing standard).
Cap vehicle parking in areas that are walkable or bikeable but lack good transit service.
Cap vehicle parking, but exclude public parking from the cap.
Do not cap vehicle parking anywhere.
Other (write in)
I5. Should the new Zoning Ordinance make it easier to provide shared parking facilities in commercial and mixed-use areas?
Yes
Maybe (write in below)
No
Unsure/no opinion
Other (write in)
I6. Should the new Zoning Ordinance develop methods other than vehicle parking requirements to control the spread of large alcohol-related uses?
Yes
Maybe (write in below)
No
Unsure/no opinion
Other (write in)
I7. Should the new Zoning Ordinance limit the percentage of a lot that can be used as a surface parking lot in walkable or urban areas of the city?
Yes
Maybe (write in below)
No
Unsure/no opinion
Other (write in)
I8. Which of the following options for updating bicycle parking standards should the new Zoning
Ordinance include? Select all that apply:
Require more bicycle parking everywhere.
Require more bicycle parking where demand is higher
Raise the 50-space cap on the amount of bicycle parking that is required.
Eliminate the 50-space cap on the amount of bicycle parking that is required.
Allow bicycle parking that is installed over the minimum to count towards vehicular parking requirements.
Other (write in)
Theme J: Use Standards
J1. Are there types of businesses, housing, or other uses that the new Zoning Ordinance should allow MORE OF in specific areas or citywide?
Corner stores, missing middle homes, duplexes, attached and detached ADUs, maker spaces, accessory Commercial Spaces, walk up taco stands, food trucks on public property
J2. Are there types of businesses, housing, or other uses that the new Zoning Ordinance should HOLD TO HIGHER STANDARDS (but not outlaw) in specific areas or citywide? Are there any specific standards that the new Zoning Ordinance should include?
Auto dominated uses: car washes, drive thrus, public storage
J3. Are there types of businesses, housing, or other uses that the new Zoning Ordinance should completely OUTLAW in specific areas or citywide?
No
J4. There are some uses that the Zoning Ordinance only allows if they meet certain standards. Which of the following uses (that currently have no or few standards) should the Zoning Ordinance include standards for? Note that any standards would only apply where a use is allowed.
[Most of these answers are outside of AHA’s expertise, so we have no opinion. NOT duplexes/two-family housing]
All businesses next to residential areas
Automotive repair garages; paint, tire and body repair shops; auto parts retail stores; or carwashes (handwashing or automated)
Convenience stores/gas stations
Data centers
Drive-throughs/drive-ins
Duplexes/two-family housing
Lounges (including hookah)
Marijuana dispensaries
Nightclubs
Personal service establishments
Self-storage
Small discount variety stores (i.e., dollar stores)
Supportive housing (e.g., personal care homes, group homes, rehabilitation centers)
J5. Should the new Zoning Ordinance allow businesses that produce goods to open in commercial and mixed-use areas if those businesses are compatible with other uses in the zoning district, especially residential? Examples include artist studios, glassblowers, maker spaces, 3-D printing, and similar activities.
Yes
Maybe (write in below)
No
Unsure/no opinion
Other (write in)
J6. Today, a person can only run a business from their home if it meets a set of restrictive standards. Should the new Zoning Ordinance allow any of the following currently prohibited activities in specific areas? Select all that apply.
Retail sales, where customers purchase goods on the property (e.g., small store)
Services, where such services are provided on the property (e.g., beauty shop, barber)
Eating and drinking, where customers dine on the property
Assembly, where customers are taught a skill on the property
Allowing employees who are not family members living on the property
Other (write in)
J7. Should the new Zoning Ordinance require developments over a certain size in mixed-use areas to be mixed-use? For example, requiring large apartment buildings to include commercial or community space, or large office complexes to include housing.
Yes
Maybe (write in below)
No
Unsure/no opinion
Other (write in)
J8. Some neighborhoods have buildings and uses that are not allowed by their current zoning, despite being an important part of their character. Because these buildings and uses are not allowed, they cannot be rebuilt if destroyed, nor reopened for their original purpose if vacant for generally more than one year.
Atlanta's zoning currently allows multifamily buildings with 4 to 12 units that were legally built before 1946 to be renovated and rebuilt, regardless of their current zoning. Should the new Zoning Ordinance include similar standards for any of the following (legally built/opened) buildings and uses? Select all that apply:
Pre-1946 storefront buildings (i.e., corner stores)
All commercial buildings
Pre-1946 duplexes (two units)
All duplexes
Pre-1946 triplexes (three units)
All triplex
Pre-1946 accessory dwellings
All accessory dwellings
All multifamily with 4 to 12 units
Pre-1946 multifamily with 13+ units
All multifamily with 13+ units
Other (write in)
J9. Should the new Zoning Ordinance include standards that specifically support small businesses? Examples could include requirements for small commercial spaces in developments, reduced or eliminated parking requirements, etc.
Yes
Maybe (write in below)
No
Unsure/no opinion
Other (write in)
Theme K: Site Standards
K1. Is there anything you’d like to share regarding site features, such as walls, fences, retaining walls, mechanical equipment, pools, dumpsters, etc.?
[Outside of AHA's scope, no recommendation]
K2. Should the new Zoning Ordinance allow unscreened dumpsters like this to be placed in front of buildings (visible from the street)?
Yes, they should be allowed everywhere.
Yes, they should be allowed in some places
It depends (write in below)
No, they should not be allowed anywhere
No opinion/unsure
Other (write in below)
K3. Should the new Zoning Ordinance allow unscreened commercial/industrial mechanical equipment like this be placed in front of buildings (visible from the street)?
[Outside of AHA's scope, no recommendation]
Yes, it should be allowed in some places
It depends (write in below)
No, it should not be allowed anywhere
No opinion/unsure
Other (write in below)
Additional comments:
K4. Should the new Zoning Ordinance allow unscreened commercial/industrial outdoor storage like this be placed in front of buildings (visible from the street)?
[Outside of AHA's scope, no recommendation]
Yes, it should be allowed in some places
It depends (write in below)
No, it should not be allowed anywhere
No opinion/unsure
Other (write in below)
Additional comments:
K5. Should the new Zoning Ordinance require buildings to provide a safe, accessible walkway from the building entrance to the adjacent public sidewalk?
Yes
Maybe (write in below)
No
Unsure/no opinion
Other (write in)
K6. Should retaining walls like this be allowed against the sidewalk anywhere in the city?
[Outside of AHA's scope, no recommendation]
Yes, they should be allowed everywhere.
Yes, they should be allowed in some places
It depends (write in below)
No, they should not be allowed anywhere
No opinion/unsure
Other (write in)
Additional comments: