Prince William County staff propose transect‑based by‑right parking reductions with transit proximity bonus

Prince William County transportation staff on Monday presented proposed updates to the Design and Construction Standards Manual (DCSM) that would allow limited by‑right reductions in required parking in higher‑density transects and add a small transit‑proximity bonus.

Paulo Bellito of the Department of Transportation told the Planning Commission the office is preparing a new draft of Section 600 and expects to return the manual to the Board for action this spring. Kevin Weirock, the county’s transportation planning manager, said staff moved to a transect‑based “gradient” so reductions vary by place rather than applying a single percentage countywide.

The draft presented several example figures: earlier drafts showed reductions such as roughly 8% for multifamily, 12% for nonresidential and 10% for mixed use; the revised approach differentiates reductions by transect and proposes a 4% bonus for projects within 2,000 feet of a VRE station or a VDOT commuter lot. Bellito said staff also intends to require a parking management plan as a condition whenever a by‑right reduction is used, so the entity receiving the reduction “has ability to manage parking.”

Commissioners repeatedly asked staff for evidence and guardrails. “Is there industry input to these updates?” Commissioner Schiefler asked; staff replied that developers previously sought higher reduction percentages but that the draft is intended to be a middle ground and that larger reductions would still be possible through the existing waiver process. Several commissioners said they wanted more local usage data — including utilization rates for new facilities such as the Potomac/Neabsco commuter garage — and requested county or VDOT numbers before the changes advance.

Other concerns centered on spillover parking and enforcement. Commissioner Justice said that reductions should be tied to mixed‑use or commercial adjacencies so that daytime commercial demand can absorb residential parking, and urged that staff require enforceable proffers or parking‑management measures. Kevin Weirock acknowledged structured parking can be costly — “sometimes 5 to 10 times higher than a surface parking space” — and said the manual changes aim to provide flexibility for sites where multimodal connections already exist.

Staff also flagged separate efforts to address truck and tractor‑trailer parking and said the county will prepare a new draft to circulate to the Planning Commission and to supervisors for further comment. Bellito said staff will share consultant studies, applicant analyses attached to waiver requests, and utilization data for commuter facilities as the draft is refined.

The commission did not vote; the item was a work session presentation. Staff said they will meet with supervisors and return a revised draft to the commission and to the Board later in the spring.