Tag Archives: Parking

People Over Parking: Harrisburg’s parking obsession stands in the way of its progress

March 28, 2024 | by Lawrance Binda

Illustration by Rich Hauck

In Harrisburg, car space often is more valued than people space.

I’ve said this for years, my awkward way of pointing out that people often seem more concerned with parking than with adding badly needed housing to the city.

Every housing proposal seems to run up against “the ‘P’ word” (as I call it), as even projects that satisfy the city’s minimum parking requirements inevitably get slammed for not providing enough parking. And my sympathies to projects that don’t conform.

In late February, this parking obsession reached a new low when the city’s Zoning Hearing Board rejected limited parking relief for a proposed 144-unit apartment building, potentially endangering the project.

To be clear—the developer wasn’t asking for much. For a project of this size, the city mandates a large number of off-street spaces, 191, and the developer had 160 on two adjacent surface lots. So, it needed a special exception for the remaining 31 spaces. The zoning board’s answer: “no.”

At this point, I should offer some context.

The project’s location, at 320 Reily St., is currently a vast, sparsely used surface parking lot. It abuts other vast, sparsely used surface parking lots to the north and to the east. So, currently, there are acres of empty, abandoned asphalt, creating a massive dead zone for about five city blocks.

Currently, a stroll up Reily Street is about as welcoming as a stroll through an abandoned ghost town. Once, there were houses and other buildings on these blocks, but they’ve been gone for decades. In its place: blocks and blocks of blacktop.

Further context—back in 2021, the city zoning board gave this same project a much larger parking exception. However, the builder never proceeded with it, so needed to get the project reapproved after reviving the proposal.

So, what changed over the past three years? What made the zoning board refuse a special exception for 31 spaces when it granted an exception for 120 spaces just a few years ago?

Well, first, the personnel on the board changed, so different people with different viewpoints are making the decisions. And, secondly, I fear that, in this city, parochial parking concerns increasingly are overwhelming other, more important priorities.

We saw this two years ago when the city stopped work on badly needed safety and design improvements to State Street, specifically to preserve the parking status quo there. And now we see it on Reily Street, where blocks of empty lots cry out for housing and residents.

Harrisburg, which once had nearly twice the population it has today, has thousands of empty lots. So, there’s plenty of room to build. These buildings would not only add badly needed housing, but would help the city’s struggling businesses, strengthen the tax base and allow the city government to fund more and better services.

According to a 2023 study from the Housing Affordability Institute, parking minimums do the opposite. They reduce housing affordability and availability, as developers need to devote large sums of money and space to parking. Providing parking can dramatically increase a project’s cost, which leads to fewer and higher-priced units, if they’re built at all.

And an empty lot, especially when it’s not even being utilized for general public parking, as in this case, offers essentially no value to the city, its people, its businesses or its future.

At this point, I should lay my cards on the table. To me, a city is people, not cars, so I’m no fan of parking minimums. The world’s greatest cities share a common trait: they have human density, not parking density. To me, vast parking lots are blights on the landscape, making cities less livable, walkable and economically viable.

In fact, my biggest knock on the Reily Street project is not that it has too little parking, but too much. It preserves two enormous surface lots in order to approach the city’s parking requirement. I understand the need for this right now, but at some point, those lots should be developed, too.

At the zoning board meeting, one Harrisburg resident who lives near the site spoke in favor of the project and the requested parking relief.

“I think it’s better that we move in the direction where we can contribute to a dense, livable urban core and walkable neighborhoods that are safe for people who wish to walk places, to bike places, or for any other potential means of transportation,” he told members of the zoning board. “So, I think having a higher density of people compared to cars in the urban environment we have is going to be better for livability.”

I agree. And, according to an NPR story from January, some cities are reaching the same conclusion. Increasingly, they’re abandoning parking minimums in favor of density, walkability, convenience, affordability and access to amenities.
Harrisburg should consider following this lead.

Lawrance Binda is publisher/editor of TheBurg.

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Parking in Harrisburg free over Christmas weekend, trash pickup will change

December 7, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

What better gift than free parking?

Harrisburg announced on Wednesday that Park Harrisburg will offer free parking in the city’s metered areas during the long Christmas weekend.

Free parking will extend from Dec. 24 through 26. No tickets will be given in metered areas during that time. People who pay for parking will not be refunded.

“We hope this offers the people of Harrisburg a little relief around the holidays,” said Mayor Wanda Williams. “I’m really appreciative of Park Harrisburg and [Senior Manager] Nancy Keim for making this possible for our residents and anyone who visits the city. We don’t want parking to get in the way of everyone having a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.”

Harrisburg city offices will be closed from Dec. 25 through 27.

For New Year’s Eve, parking is free downtown after 5 p.m. on Saturday and free on Sunday, as usual. Parking will also be free on Monday, Jan. 2.

Additionally, trash and recycling collection will be impacted during the holiday season. According to Harrisburg Public Works Director Dave West, the week after Christmas, trash pickup will operate on a modified schedule, shifting its work-week from Tuesday, Dec. 27 to Saturday, Dec. 31.

Residents’ trash and recycling collection will take place one day after normal pickup.

For more information, visit the city’s website.

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Update: 2nd Street final paving to begin this week, impacting parking

September 20, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

N. 2nd and Kelker streets

Paving on Harrisburg’s N. 2^nd Street two-way conversion project soon will be completed.

The city announced on Tuesday that the roadway, from Forster to Muench streets, will be paved on Thursday and Friday.

Crews will pave the northbound traffic and parking lanes of N. 2^nd Street on Sept. 22 and the new southbound traffic and parking lanes on Sept. 23.

The new southbound lane will allow for two-way traffic on the street, but the two-way conversion won’t make the switch until early October.

Paving on all side roads will take place the following week, from Monday, Sept. 26 through Friday, Sept. 30. Boas, Herr, Cumberland, Charles, Verbeke, Sayford, Calder, Reily, Harris, Hamilton, Kelker and Meunch streets will be paved on both sides of N. 2^nd Street

Parking will be impacted on N. 2^nd Street during paving. Side road parking will be affected 100 feet past the intersection. Ticketing will be enforced.

According to the city, the entire two-way conversion project, from Forster to Division streets, is expected to be completed by early October.

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Portion of Harrisburg’s N. 2nd Street to transition to two-way traffic early next month

August 25, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Construction of a roundabout on N. 2nd and Kelker streets

Harrisburg’s N. 2^nd Street construction project is on its way to partial completion.

The section of the roadway from Maclay to Division streets is expected to go from one-way to two-way traffic in early September, according to the city.

Before that can happen, side road paving will take place on Aug. 29 and 30. Additionally, construction crews still need to paint lines on the road and install traffic signs and signals.

The two-way switch was initially planned for June. However, various delays have pushed back the project timeline.

The rest of the N. 2^nd Street corridor under construction, from Forster to Maclay, will not transition to two-way traffic until mid-fall, according to the city. Crews are currently installing roundabouts at the intersections of Verbeke, Reily and Kelker streets.

The project is part of Harrisburg’s Vision Zero plan to eliminate pedestrian fatalities and make neighborhoods more walkable.

Next week’s construction will impact parking on several adjacent streets on Monday and Tuesday. From Peffer Street to Shamokin Street, parking will be limited on all four street corners, about 50 feet from N. 2nd Street. This includes Peffer, Maclay, Woodbine, Emerald, Seneca, Schuylkill, Radnor, Wiconisco and Shamokin streets. No more than two parking spaces are expected to be impacted, according to the city.

Additionally, the south side of Maclay Street will be closed to parking from N. 2nd Street to N. 3rd Street.

Parking will also be affected on the following days:

Wednesday, Aug. 31: The south side of Verbeke Street will be closed to parking from N. Front Street to N. 2nd Street. The north side of Verbeke Street will be closed to parking from N. 2nd to Green Street.
Thursday, Sept. 1: The south side of Reily Street will be closed to parking from N. Front Street to Penn Street.
Friday, Sept. 2: The south side of Kelker Street will be closed to parking from N. Front Street to N. 2nd Street. The north side of Kelker Street will be closed to parking from N. 2nd Street to Green Street.

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Harrisburg to move forward with State Street project after gathering public input, making changes

June 23, 2022 | by Maddie Gittens

Representatives from Dawood Engineering Inc. explain the updated proposal for State Street at a public meeting on Wednesday.

A project to make State Street in Allison Hill safer is moving closer to the design finish line.

At the last of three public meetings held by Harrisburg this month, residents on Wednesday shared their opinions on a final proposed design for the roadway.

“At the end of the day, State Street is going to be safer,” said Matt Maisel, communications director for the city. “The outreach from the public really speaks to how pleased we are that they stepped up to the plate.”

The State Street Rapid Response project began in 2019 with the goal of making the corridor safer for pedestrians and motorists. Construction began in April, but was halted not long after when residents expressed concern over aspects of the plan that would decrease parking and add a bike lane to the road. In late April, the city issued a cease and desist order for the construction and began to review the plans.

Since then, Harrisburg has held three public meetings and accepted public comments online. In total, the city received around 100 comments, Maisel said.

On Wednesday in the Harrisburg School District Administration Building, representatives from Dawood Engineering Inc., which provides services to the city, shared an updated proposal.

“We listened to all the comments we got from the community,” said Scott Bechard, senior transportation planner at Dawood Engineering. “We are doing what we can to improve safety along this corridor.”

The updated proposal includes narrowing the current 12-foot-wide traffic lanes to about 11 feet in width. All current legal parking areas will be maintained, and parking spaces will be marked. Additionally, the plan adds a 3-foot buffer between the outside traffic lanes and parking to allow for motorists to safely open their car doors, Bechard explained.

Other improvements were added based on residents’ concerns over speeding cars, pedestrian crossing safety and visibility issues, among other items. To address these issues, engineers added textured crosswalks, flashing crosswalk beacons, enhanced signage, restricted parking areas at corners for better visibility and added school bus drop-off zones to the plan. They also plan to re-time traffic signals to prevent speeding and add time to pedestrian crosswalk signals for more crossing time.

State Street resident Nicole Boyd was happy to see that parking will remain intact, but still feels nervous crossing a road with so many lanes, she said. However, she was satisfied overall.

“Compared to what the original proposal was, it’s good,” Boyd. “I didn’t think they would really make changes, so I’m happy.”

While the initial plan for State Street included designated bike lanes, many State Street residents spoke in opposition to them, saying the lanes would go unused. The updated proposal instead utilizes “sharrows,” markings to signify that the lane is shared by cars and bicycles.

For Harrisburg resident and bicyclist Brandon Basom, that’s not enough. He was happy to see the improvements to signage and crosswalks, but didn’t think enough was being done to accommodate those who travel by bike.

“Telling people to be careful never saves lives,” he said of the proposed “sharrows.” “It’s sad and frustrating. It’s almost like half of the city doesn’t matter.”

According to Basom, who volunteers at Recycle Bicycle in Allison Hill, which provides free bikes to residents, the organization gives out thousands of bikes a year.

“These are people who need to ride their bikes,” he said. “Some can’t afford a car or don’t have a license.”

While some residents, like Basom, still don’t feel their concerns were addressed, others felt adequately heard by the city.

Evelyn Hunt, a long-time State Street resident, was one of the first to initially express dissatisfaction with the project back in April. While there were still a few tweaks she hopes engineers will make, she seemed to be pleased overall with how things turned out.

“I feel better about parking,” she said. “My voice was heard by the city and the engineers, just not by PennDOT.”

According to Wes Heisley of Dawood, engineers will make adjustments based on comments from the final public meeting before presenting the plan to PennDOT, which owns State Street, for approval. The plan will also need to come before City Council again for approval, said Harrisburg Business Administrator Dan Hartman.

The city expects the project to be completed by the end of the year. Hartman added that PennDOT has committed to repaving the roadway, as well.

“We are really excited for the way that this is going to work out for the residents of this neighborhood,” Maisel said.

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Developers of proposed senior housing in Harrisburg address parking concerns, seek to move forward

August 4, 2021 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board meeting on Tuesday.

The developers of a proposed affordable housing development for seniors say that they’ve identified additional parking for their project, as they seek to gain approval from Harrisburg’s zoning board.

At a special hearing on Tuesday, Bethel Village officials explained additions that they made to their plan to try to appeal to neighbors for the proposed project at N. 6^th and Herr streets, especially regarding parking.

“Looking back, we would’ve benefitted from more outreach,” said Esch McCombie, an attorney with McNees, Wallace & Nurick, the law firm representing Bethel.

At last month’s Zoning Hearing Board meeting, the project received a range of feedback from residents, a majority of whom were opposed to the project. Most believed that the four off-street parking spots proposed for the 49-unit building were not enough.

Officials from RB Development and Gardner Capital, two of the partners in the project, maintained that few parking spots are needed, as they expect most residents will not own cars.

However, community members questioned where guests, nurses and staff will park.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Bethel Village officials said that they believe an agreement with nearby Tabernacle Baptist Church for use of 15 surface parking spaces will address the neighbors’ concerns. However, they do not yet have a lease signed with the church, McCombie said.

They also pointed out there are at least 10 on-street parking spaces on Herr Street and 38 newly constructed spaces on N. 6^th Street from Herr to Reily streets.

At the meeting, neighbor Stephen Rzonca said that he walked the street recently, taking pictures, and saw no open spaces.

“Consider this was on a Tuesday afternoon, when not all of the 20,000 state employees that were teleworking have returned,” he said. “Two, this was on a day when the Broad Street Market was closed. Thursdays through Saturdays, the parking situation gets considerably worse.”

The proposed site of Bethel Village at N. 6th and Herr streets.

However, for some residents, such as Olivia Rindfuss, Bethel’s additions to the plan were enough to gain their support.

“Previously, I attested that the plan in its current condition would not be to the best public safety of the city,” she said. “In correction of that statement, I am in support of this project based on improvements to the plan. I hope my neighbors will join me in support of this project.”

Overall, Tuesday’s meeting received more positive comments for Bethel, with a number of Bethel AME Church members voicing support. The church is a partner in the project, and their building formerly was situated on the land where the proposed senior housing would go.

In response to a petition opposing the project submitted by neighbors at last month’s zoning meeting, Bethel collected over 70 signatures on its own petition in support of the project.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the housing go up, and I’m looking forward to helping our seniors,” said resident Ruby Doub, who also is the communications liaison for Dauphin County.

Members of the zoning board said they were not ready to make a decision on the case yet and would continue it to the board’s Aug. 16 meeting at 6 p.m.

“It [parking] is not a safety and health issue. It’s a convenience issue,” McCombie said. “It’s having to walk further to find parking. It’s having to drive around for 20 to 30 minutes to find parking. I absolutely appreciate their concerns […] but at the end of the day, the application complies with the requirements.”

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Harrisburg applies for grant to extend Urban Meadow, add parking on Reily Street

October 1, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

A section of the Urban Meadow near N. 3rd Street and Reily Street.

A strip of green space in Midtown Harrisburg would be lengthened under a plan to extend the “Urban Meadow” to the new federal courthouse area.

City Council recently approved a resolution allowing the submission of a grant application for up to $3 million to the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s Multimodal Transportation Fund Program.

If the grant is received, half of the funds would go to the Urban Meadow extension construction and the other half to area streetscape improvements. The project also includes adding about 50 angled parking spaces on Reily Street between Logan and Fulton streets.

A Dauphin County gaming grant already has fully paid for about $75,000 worth of design fees for the project.

The current Urban Meadow runs along Boyd Street from N. 3^rdto Fulton Street. The new project would extend pavers from Fulton to N. 6^thStreet, said city Engineer Wayne Martin.

“As the name indicates, it is kind of an oasis in the city,” said Harrisburg project manager Ambrose Buck during an episode of “Community Conversations with Mayor Papenfuse,” the city’s weekly Facebook Live event.

The path extension would be a dedicated pedestrian and bicycle route, including lighting and landscaping. It would connect the federal courthouse currently under construction on N. 6^th Street to the Midtown area, Martin said.

He said that, with the forthcoming courthouse requiring about 400 to 800 parking spaces, the city is looking to increase transportation options.

“The goal is economic development through multimodal transportation,” he said.

If the grant is received, construction on the Urban Meadow is expected for early 2021, Martin said.

Harrisburg also plans to add sidewalk and new bus stops on N. 6^th Street by the courthouse.

To watch past Harrisburg City Council meetings or Community Conversations, visit the city’s YouTube channel. For more information on Vision Zero, visit www.harrisburgpa.gov/visionzero.

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Harrisburg extends ticketing moratorium through emergency

March 26, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A parking meter along N. 3rd Street in Harrisburg.

Harrisburg will suspend parking enforcement through the remainder of the city’s disaster declaration, it was announced this afternoon.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said today that the city and parking operator SP+ will extend its moratorium on ticketing for on-street parking meters, residential zone parking and street sweeping until the disaster declaration is lifted.

On March 16, Papenfuse declared a disaster emergency in the city due to the COVID-19 health and resulting economic crisis.

The declaration halted ticketing through March 29, a date that has now been extended indefinitely, until the emergency ends.

The declaration also closed public access to city buildings and has resulted in a number of other actions, including a temporary halt to residential evictions throughout the city.

By state mandate, schools are also shut down, and “non life-sustaining” businesses have been ordered to close their physical locations.

Today, the state Department of Health reported a nearly 50-percent increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases since yesterday, to 1,687 cases statewide.

Angled parking, wider sidewalk coming to Harrisburg’s Capitol neighborhood

November 25, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Road work on N. 3rd Street in front of the State Museum.

If you walk or drive near the state Capitol, you may have noticed that big changes are afoot.

Today, workers were busy painting lines in front of the State Museum, where the parking configuration is changing from parallel to angled.

According to Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, that change is a part of larger plans in the area.

“There are several components that are working together,” he said.

The city opted for front-in, angled parking in front of the museum for two reasons, Papenfuse said.

First, the city soon will install eight electric-car charging stations in front of the museum, funded by a $40,000 state Department of Environmental Protection grant. These charging stations will require vehicles to pull in front-wise.

Also, next year, the city will complete the sidewalk-widening project around the Capitol, extending it along N. 3^rd between State and North streets. About eight years ago, the state widened a strip of concrete surrounding the Capitol along Walnut and N. 3^rd streets, but stopped at State Street.

That sidewalk project will eliminate about nine parallel parking spaces. However, those nine spaces will be made up by the new angled configuration in front of the museum, which permits a greater density of parking, Papenfuse said.

The new parking configuration has removed the right-hand lane traveling north on N. 3^rd Street just before Forster Street. Starting today, there are just two lanes on N. 3rd in that area: a center lane and a separate left-turn lane, which was first created about three years ago.

Farther down 3^rd Street, the city has reduced the number of vehicle lanes from two to one from Walnut to Chestnut streets. It then took the left-hand lane to create a new bike lane.

Papenfuse said the bike lane was created as part of an east-west connector project that is designed to link the downtown with bike-friendly spaces as the Capital Area Greenbelt and Riverfront Park. He said the bike lane also should make 3^rd Street more pedestrian-friendly.

“Hopefully, the city is becoming safer,” he said.

The Week that Was: News and events around Harrisburg

November 1, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Elementary Coffee Co. debuted its shop this week.

The local news was as variable as the weather this past week: calm one minute, stormy the next. We have the news portion wrapped up for you below, in case you missed a story while dodging the trick-or-treat monsoon.

Art Association of Harrisburg is featuring two new exhibits, which both touch on important social issues. Check out what our fine arts columnist had to say about the installations.

Elementary Coffee Co. debuted its standalone shop at North and Susquehanna streets in Harrisburg following a lengthy build-out. We were delighted to capture the soft opening of this long-anticipated project. Check out our online story.

Harrisburg has proposed implementing an innovative business parking permit program, but the ordinance quickly met pushback last week from City Council members. Click here to find out what the proposal is all about.

Harrisburg Mural Fest may be past, but we showcased the stunning works of art in our October issue. As a bonus, one delayed mural was just completed, and you can see that for yourself at a prominent corner–N. 3rd and Cumberland streets–in Midtown Harrisburg.

Harrisburg’s federal courthouse is rising quickly at N. 6^th and Reily streets, though without nearly enough parking to accommodate all the staff, jurors and visitors. In his monthly column, our editor weighs in with his thoughts on the coming Midtown parking clash.

Harrisburg’s music scene steps up to a new level this month as several major acts visit the capital city. Our music writer lets us know who’s coming to town over the 30 days of November.

The Marine Corps Marathon was last weekend, and a Camp Hill doctor ran it to raise money to help injured veterans. Read about this man and his commitment to this important cause in our online feature.

A medical marijuana company expects to build a dispensary in Allison Hill, but first must have its building plan approved by City Council. Council listened for two hours last week as the company explained the plan for its Allison Hill facility. Read the details here.

Sara Bozich summarizes the final batch of the season’s Halloween-related events, which take place this weekend, and has another 100 or so other things for you to do. Take a gander at her long list of activities here.

TheBurg released our November issue, chock-a-block with stories about local businesses in anticipation of the busy holiday shopping season. You’ll also find many stories about Harrisburg-area people, organizations, cultural activities, events and more. You can pick up the hard copy in 500-plus locations in central PA or click here to read the online version.

Whitaker Center is launching its “Thursday Afternoon” music series next week. So, this coming Thursday, pack a lunch and bring it to downtown Harrisburg’s arts and science complex for some great live sounds while you eat. Read the details here.

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