A proposal to eliminate parking minimums — potentially leaving the amount of parking space up to developers — is getting closer to reaching the Dallas City Council.
The City Planning Commission was briefed on the proposal during its meeting on Thursday. The potential changes to the city's parking options have been in the works since 2019 at the encouragement of District 1 City Council Member Chad West and other members.
Current city parking minimums were passed in the 1960s and slightly updated in the 1980s. The standard is based on what critics call “arbitrary numbers” dictating the amount of spaces required per square foot.
Earlier this year, the issue went before the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee. The Planning Commission was the next step.
Interim Chief Planner Michael Wade said parking minimums get in the way of city goals by hindering housing production redevelopment of existing buildings and creating a cumbersome permitting process.
"It disproportionately burdens small businesses, and this has an equity impact," Wade said. "It perpetuates really an unsafe, unwalkable, totally unpleasant environment very often."
If the city eliminates parking minimums, developers would still be required to provide ADA compliant, accessible parking, Wade said.
Dallas is far from the first city to consider revising its parking requirements.
Cities like Seattle, Minneapolis and Austin have worked on eliminating parking minimums in recent years. Wade said Dallas has also incrementally starting the process through planned developments and mixed-income housing developments.
Commissioner James Housewright, who is a practicing commercial architect, said developers consistently build 20 to 30% more parking in their projects than is needed. Housewright spoke in favor of the proposal and said he wanted the commission to treat it with urgency.
"This amended ordinance has the potential to do more good for the city in terms of land use and urban design than anything else we'll do it this horseshoe today," Housewright said. "This is really, really important."
The commission still needs to hold a public hearing and vote before sending the measure to the full city council.
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