Parking in SF is an expensive hassle — we all know this. But a new report out of UCLA picked up by Curbed suggests that the financial burden manifests in ways other than the nonstop stream of broken car windows. Specifically, the study's author claims it costs $29,000 to build a single on-street parking space in our great city.
An underground spot? Well, that will cost you $38,000. Oh, and neither of those estimates include the cost of land.
"If that surprises you, you’re a little naive," the study's author, Dr. Donald Shoup, explained to Curbed. "Try digging a hole three stories deep in San Francisco and filling it with concrete and see how much it costs you."
Well, sure, but what about on-street parking? Shoup says the numbers he used to estimate that cost come from a respected consulting firm, and are widely agreed upon to be accurate.
Now, perhaps obviously, this number is an average — building a spot downtown may be one price while building a spot in the Sunset another. The larger point, however, that every single parking space costs SF not just in opportunity costs (giving up land that could be used for bike lanes, parks, housing, etc.), but in actual dollars, is one Shoup thinks is important to keep in mind.
His study, titled "Cutting the Cost of Parking Requirements," makes this point. "Like the automobile itself, parking is a good servant but a bad master," he writes. "Parking should be friendly—easy to find, easy to use, and easy to pay for—but cities should not require or subsidize parking."
Besides, according to a report out earlier this year, there's already plenty of parking in SF — just drive on over to Noe Valley.
Related: No, Most Mission Residents Are Not OK With Median Parking On Sunday