For Immediate Release
October 6, 2021
Contact: Amanda Farnan, afarnan@dccouncil.us

Councilmember Christina Henderson Introduces Legislation Improving Residential Parking Permit Zones in DC

Washington DC – Councilmember Christina Henderson, along with Councilmember Brooke Pinto, today introduced the Rightsizing Residential Permit Parking Regulation Amendment Act of 2021. This legislation would resize our Residential Permit Parking (RPP) zones to align with Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) boundaries.

“The redistricting process prompts a rightsizing of our wards and it is time to do the same for our residential parking permit zones. This legislation will continue to support the purpose of the residential permit parking program – enabling residents to park near their homes – while creating a more equitable parking system for the District,” said Councilmember Christina Henderson. “New RPP zones would match Advisory Neighborhood Commission boundaries, creating smaller but more consistently sized zones similar to those in successful resident parking programs in other cities across the nation. Some neighborhoods in Wards 1 and 4 already use ANC boundaries for the purpose of RPP.”

The geographic scale of ANCs will create RPP zones that are more consistent and equitable across the city. It is important to note this legislation would establish RPP zones as the same size of a full ANC area, rather than the smaller single member districts. As we begin engaging each Ward throughout the redistricting process, this legislation will decouple parking from Ward boundary decisions. With this, we will strive for more focused conversations on the task at hand when it comes to redistricting – delivering equal & fair access to political representation.

Neighborhood permit parking is used in several U.S. cities of comparable size to Washington, DC.  By establishing 41 total RPP zones in the District, this legislation would place us in line with parking permit programs in Philadelphia (39), San Francisco (33), and Boston (~40).  For additional perspective, our neighboring jurisdiction of Arlington, Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland maintain 23 and 53 parking districts, respectively.

According to a 2019 survey of residential parking permit plans, smaller zones are proven to support less congestion on neighborhood streets and keep enforcement consistent across a larger geographic area. This legislation would implement changes as of January 1, 2023, to allow time for public education and the appropriation of any necessary funding to effectuate the change in Fiscal Year 2023.

###

‍