Testimony on Parking Reform to Dallas City Council

Environment Texas City Hall Advocate Ian Seamans delivered the following testimony to the Dallas City Council today:

“Good afternoon, Mayor and Council Members. My name is Ian Seamans and I am the Dallas City Hall Advocate for Environment Texas — a nonprofit that works for clean air, clean water, open spaces, and a livable climate for all Texans.

It is a fact that Dallas has too many unused parking spaces. To quote a memo that [Dallas Senior Planner] Michael Wade submitted to the [Dallas Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee], ‘Conclusions from [North Central Texas Council of Governments] work match those found by Dallas City staff: Parking for local districts, main street-like corridors, and transit-oriented developments tends to be either adequate for auto demand, or to even far surpass demand.’

These empty parking spaces serve no one. The unnecessary impervious surfaces worsen flash flooding and carry pollutants straight into our waterways. Impermeable surfaces like this are one of primary causes of high e coli levels in the Trinity, White Rock Lake, and Bachman lake, that make them unsafe to swim in.

The excess concrete and asphalt also causes and worsens Dallas’s heat islands.

If Dallas wants to meet our CECAP goals to reduce single occupant vehicle travel to 62% of trips, clean up 100% of our waterways, and reduce our urban heat island index by 75%, we need to stop requiring developers to build parking that they know won’t be used.

Parking reform would make Dallas greener and cleaner and I urge you to support it as proposed.

In closing, I also want to highlight another agenda item today. I urge you to renew the Dallas Environmental Commission for another two years. The committee members and their technical advisors have provided invaluable input on issues that advance our CECAP goals for clean air, clean water, clean energy, and more. Thank you.”