If you don't build parking, pedestrians will come

The Sierra Club will request that San Francisco change its Planning Code to allow neighborhood-serving commercial projects to be permitted with zero parking spaces.

Current zoning requires 10 off-street parking spaces for a commercial space of 5,000 square feet and disproportionately more for commercial projects over 20,000 square feet. San Francisco now has about 50 large supermarkets, each with a large supply of parking, and residents feel compelled to drive if they don't feel able to walk a distance with packages.

By eliminating the parking requirement for small neighborhood-serving businesses, the city can encourage the development of small food markets in the mixed-use areas below new housing. This change is essential so that future residents of new high-density areas with limited residential parking can meet their household needs without driving.

We see a future where small shopping carts are the vehicle of choice in San Francisco.

Howard Strassner