Hybrid Residential Parking Districts: To be or not to be, that is the question.
by Lynne Lancaster
Deputy Director, Department of Public Works
City of Richmond, VA
The City of Richmond has five Restricted Residential Parking Districts (RRPD), each having different permit criteria in their district. The parking districts were established due to external parkingpressures from their universities and businesses. The first RRPP was created in 1978. In 2023, the City of Richmond eliminated parking minimum requirements for businesses which brought concerns for both residents and businesses whether the City should create a hybrid RRPD parking program.
The City hired a consultant to investigate and determine if there is a need and provided examples of what other cities of like size have created. The focus of the study is to talk with the RRPDs, develop a program that would work for all districts, and identify all existing ordinances that would need modification to bring the program to existence. The Richmond neighborhood association Carver has developed a hybrid program, but they have a limited number of businesses. Most of their businesses are corner properties that have been vacant for years but have been redeveloped.
At this time, only residents qualify for parking permits in all our RRPDs except for Carver which just began a hybrid permit in late 2024. So far so good. With parking at a premium, and the elimination of parking minimums how does a city support business development in our neighborhoods while also ensuring sufficient parking for residents and patrons. Various district associations are having this conversation now and the city is assisting when requested. Carverlanded on a simple solution whereby businesses would be allowed two vehicle permits for $25.00 each, and six visitor placards for $35.00 each.
With no consensus yet on how best to approach the issue, the consultant researched to see if other municipalities had programs thatallowed business parking. They identified a variety of programs that offered unique permits, with different methods of calculating the number of permits allowed. The recommendations included accommodation for all; not just business employees. They also accounted for school staff, group home staff, landlords, contractors, nannies, home health care providers, and even employees working in businesses that abut an RRPD.
As home-based businesses evolve and neighborhoods trend more to a walkable environment, the demand for economic development will increase. Each neighborhood will have unique criteria, and the City of Richmond is poised to assist in the development of such programs.
