Does Family Dollar really need all this parking?

The zoning code probably says so, but the reality is that parking codes are usually outdated and based on poor assumptions. I walked past again on Saturday afternoon and there were even fewer cars and I observed six different people walking home from the store rather than driving. This property is on a corner and kills the otherwise pleasant walkability of the neighborhood. Nothing to look at as you walk by. Not even some softening with decent landscaping. Just barren asphalt. Can you imagine what that experience must be like in the dead of August? 

The developer chose to highlight the abundant free parking rather than take advantage of the prominent corner location by placing the building at the street where it can be seen and easily accessed by pedestrians. In the developer's defense, it's possible the zoning code REQUIRES this.

Developments like this are deadly to the urbanism and contribute to making neighborhoods places that are not worth caring about.

Related

How much parking is too much parking?

The conventional wisdom is that parking requirements are based on a worst case scenario; namely the day after Thanksgiving and the following Christmas shopping rush. Follow the link below to see pictures of parking lots and garages on Black Friday last week.

Storing cars is very expensive. The only thing more expensive is building parking spaces to store cars and then have them never be used. What a waste!

Can you imagine Wal-Mart building an entire row of their store and then leaving the shelves empty? It would be ridiculous. Why then do we simply accept that large swaths of their land would be built upon for a use (parking) that literally never happens? We accept it because that is the price of entry, the cost of complying with local regulations.

Free Parking!!

Then what?  Joyfully ride a bike through the meadow...at the mall?