A monthly view into Lansdale’s Economic Development Committee
For decades, the "parking problem" in Lansdale has been framed through a lens of scarcity. Residents complain there isn’t enough of it and suggest that lack of parking holds Lansdale back from business growth and property redevelopment. Meanwhile, others refute this position, noting that nearby towns like Ambler and Phoenixville have a vibrant Main Street and also have parking challenges.
Lansdale is not unique in this debate. The National Main Street Center notes that "parking debates" are often fueled by a misunderstanding of how a successful downtown functions. Many residents and business owners believe that if a customer cannot park directly in front of their door, the customer won’t come in. However, the most vibrant downtowns in America are not those with the most street spots, but those with the most foot traffic.
Lansdale needs to provide parking AND walkability. By moving parking off-street and into private lots and accessible parking structures, we can transform our business district from a corridor that people drive through into a destination where people park once and walk to multiple businesses.
The Lansdale Parking Study conducted in 2021 makes our reality clear: the borough has a sufficient total supply of parking, but that supply is not ideally distributed and much of the off-street parking along Main Street is in private lots unavailable to the general public. As a result, these lots remain underutilized while street-side spaces are over-capacity. The study also points toward the need for shared-use agreements and consolidated parking solutions.
So, what do we do? Can parking be an economic development tool? In short, yes, parking can support Lansdale economic development in three critical steps:
1) Make private parking lots available to the public
Several property owners in Landale have already expressed interest to the Lansdale Parking Authority about making their parking available to the public during nights and weekends.
The easiest path to make this change is a modification to Lansdale’s applicable zoning and ordinances to allow a private business to operate a “parking business” alongside their primary business use. In this way, property owners and businesses can partner with vendors such as Park Mobile to make their lots available during specific times.
Recently, Lansdale Borough Council started the process to make these changes in support of the Parking Authority’s request, which was also supported by the Economic Development Committee and Code Enforcement Committee.
2) Reduce or eliminate parking requirements for redevelopment
This change is more complex and seeks to define an area within Lansdale, such as the core business district, where there is no parking requirement for redevelopment. Currently, there are minimums in place that require a certain number of parking spaces per residence or
based on square footage of a business. These requirements consume space for developers and have stood in the way of new buildings or businesses in the past.
This approach must be carefully balanced in cooperation with Lansdale Borough and the Parking Authority to ensure enough parking spaces can be made available to accommodate cars nearby by building new lots or creating agreements for parking access.
3) Build mixed-use parking structures as a catalyst for change
This is by far, the most ambitious and most transformative step, requiring investors, developers, and coordination with multiple governmental entities. Imagine a large, underutilized space or a whole block transformed with first floor retail and restaurants, offices and apartments above, and public parking underneath or within the building. This model has been used successfully in towns across America. It makes our business district more walkable with occupied storefronts and provides much needed residential units.
Lansdale has the bones of a great American town. We have access to transit, a rich suburban history, and we are a community that shows up for our local businesses. What we lack is a modernized approach to our physical footprint. By changing a few outdated rules and prioritizing a mix of retail, residential, and strategic off-street parking, we aren't just solving a "parking problem." We are building the infrastructure for prosperity. It is time to embrace the economic gain that comes when we put people—and the places they love—first.
Editor's note: NorthPennNow editor Tony Di Domizio is an appointed member of the Lansdale Economic Development Committee
(This letter is a printed submission expressing the views and thoughts of the named writer. An op-ed is not the viewpoint nor stance of Fideri News Network nor its affiliate websites. The letter is an opinion-based submission which contains statements intended only to share the thoughts of its author and is not a fact-checked news article.)
