Bear with me for a minute, because I want to suggest a radical idea to you for creating safer, more convenient parking in Downtown Waco…charging market rate pricing for on-street and publicly owned off street parking facilities.  Utilizing parking revenue as a redevelopment tool can change the politics of parking in a city, particularly if these revenues are allocated to pay for public improvements in the neighborhoods that generate them.

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This will be the first in a continuing series that outlines the Chamber’s vision for the continued development of downtown Waco.  In mid-2006 The Traditional Neighborhood Development Task Force (TND Committee) was created by the Greater Waco Chamber to implement the Challenge Greater Waco Strategic Plan Goal 4 of Revitalizing Strategic Community Areas.  To accomplish the action steps identified in this goal the committee has developed the following comprehensive implementation strategy. 

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Immediately after my wife and I moved to Waco from Houston a few months ago our days went from being 22 hours long to 24.  We were no longer spending 2 hours or more every day in our cars traveling to and from work.  This is about as clear an example I can give as to the impacts of neighborhood design.  Neighborhood form including the local transportation network impacts many aspects of energy and materials consumption.  As Waco continues to grow at a steady pace, decisions that are made today as to how our growing neighborhoods are designed can minimize this impact so that we will all continue to spend less on expensive gasoline, spend less time in our cars and continue to enjoy 24 hour days.

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