The General Services Administration (GSA) and National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) have parking policies that establish parking ratio goals for Federal facilities in the National Capital Region (NCR). These ratios are geographically based, aligning with a facility’s proximity to the NCR urban core and regional transportation services, and play a role in transportation planning for federal facilities, buildings, and campuses.
While a long-standing policy within the NCR, these parking ratios were refined as part of an in-depth NCR Federal Parking Study conducted by NCPC, in September 2017, and incorporated into the Transportation Element of NCPC’s 2020 Federal Element Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital.
As NCPC states, this “Transportation Element” is intended to “support the development and maintenance of a multimodal transportation system that meets the needs of federal workers, residents, and visitors, while improving regional mobility, transportation access, and environmental quality.” It outlines various planning goals for the Federal government, with the established parking ratios serving as a direct metric for evaluation within Federal facilities’ transportation management plans (TMPs).
Federal Workplace Parking Policies
While the availability of parking is recognized as a crucial factor in enabling federal workers to get to the workplace, NCPC has emphasized the importance in developing multimodal transportation options. This has several benefits, including:
- A reduction in regional traffic congestion
- Improved environmental quality
- Improved transit accessibility
Naturally, a core component of these policies is reducing the ratio of parking at federal workplaces. Parking ratios for the NCR are listed below. These ratios are intended to work alongside other programs, developed as a part of transportation management plans to reduce the impact of Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOVs) in the NCR.
Parking Ratios for Federal Facilities
- L’Enfant City – Washington, DC historic core – One parking space for every six employees (1:6)
- Transit-Rich Corridors – Highly Metro-accessible portions of the Historic DC Boundary – One parking space for every four employees (1:4)
- Transit Accessible – Historic DC boundary (including Arlington County and portions of Alexandria, Virginia) as well as suburban locations within 2,000 feet of a Metrorail station – One parking space for every three employees (1:3)
- Suburban Areas Beyond Metrorail – All other locations in the NCR – One parking space for every two employees (1:2)
Figure 2: Parking Ratios for the National Capital Region. Click to enlarge.
Parking ratios mainly apply to employee parking, with visitor parking, fleet parking, and other mission needs considered separately.
Federal Workplace Element policies aim to discourage the establishment of new employee-intensive facilities in areas with limited accessibility. Instead, the focus is on directing new Federal development to reduce transportation demand, permitting facilities to exceed parking ratio standards when feasible.
Source: The 2020 Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital (PDF)