New Development Diminishing Mission District Parking

By Talal Ansari, Mission Local

Lack of parking is a leading gripe for San Franciscans, who live in a heavily commuted city with more than half as many registered vehicles as residents.

The Mission District is no exception, and the opening of such large-capacity venues in the neighborhood as Preservation Hall West and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema means that the tedious routine of circling the block looking for an open parking spot is here to stay.

The conversion of a parking lot at 17th and Folsom streets into a park highlights the need to balance adequate parking in the Mission with the desire for meaningful community space.

The transformation of the 220-space parking lot will begin in the summer of 2013. The lot will be split: Half will be used for a 32,000-square-foot park, and the other half is slated for housing at a future date.

Parking is an important issue for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, but it must also consider the city’s transit-first policy, adopted in 1973, which encourages walking, biking and public transportation over the use of personal vehicles.

Read the complete story at Mission Local.