A proposal to reduce and, in some cases, eliminate minimum parking requirements has surfaced to the Dallas City Council after years of discussion. But elected officials are split over the issue.
Currently the city’s parking code hinges on ratios. If a developer wants to build an apartment complex — they would calculate how much parking is required by the number of units.
Those in favor of parking reform say the ratios aren’t based in data, leave wasted space across the city — and may be hindering development. And they want a policy that leaves how much parking to build up to developers.
“We have to understand there is a demand for parking and developers, if they want their product to be used, they will provide it,” Planning and Development Deputy Director Andreea Udrea said during Monday’s meeting.
Some council members said the policy change was a long time in the making — and while it didn’t go far enough, the compromise was a good start.
“I’m pushing for no minimums because I think it would greatly simplify our code…I don’t think the city is ready for that,” District 1 Council Member Chad West said. “I see this as a compromise…I don’t love it, I don’t think anyone is going to think it’s perfect but that’s what compromises are for.”
Others had a different take.
“Yes, I would like to believe that [developers] would provide more parking, but what if they don’t? What if they’re cutting costs?” District 10 Council Member Kathy Stewart said. “As a council member, or as a resident at that point…I can’t enforce anything there.”
The proposal
The City Plan Commission’s recommendation — which was briefing to city council members on Monday — is to reduce the parking requirements in some areas of the city.
In areas located around transit hubs, downtown, office and retail areas will have no minimums — with some exceptions.
The commission is proposing no parking requirements in industrial and commercial service areas of Dallas — except when located near single-family homes.
The proposal also includes reduced requirements for bars, restaurants and other amusement uses to one space per 200 square feet. Bars and restaurants in buildings under 2,500 square feet won’t have parking minimums.
And the proposal also allows individuals to charge for off-street parking.
“Which is a change, the code right now requires that all…parking cannot be charged,” Udrea said.
Single-family minimums would change, with a reduction to one space per unit — along with multi-family, which the commission recommended to cut the requirement to a half a space per unit.
Stewart said during the meeting that cutting the multi-family requirements is not a viable option.
“I’m asking that we tie to one space per unit,” Stewart said and added that she understood the costs for development – but still had concerned about making sure there was enough parking for new developments in her district.
The market
City and elected officials in favor of parking reform say developers know how much parking their project needs — and say parking is guaranteed.
It’s the same narrative developers told KERA News in early 2024 when the parking reform proposal was circulating through City Hall. Developers and officials said at the time the ratios were based off of “arbitrary numbers.”
Planning and Development Director Emily Liu had a similar take on Monday.
“I can tell you, I’ve been a planning professional for 30 years, I do not know where those ratios are coming from,” Liu said.
The committee went back and forth about whether to send a recommendation about the parking reform issue to the full council. That included elected officials talking over each other — and some members accusing their colleagues of potentially violating city meeting codes.
But the discussion was billed at a briefing — so nothing voted on during the meeting held much weight. No recommendation was sent to the full council and city staff said they would answer any questions in a memo.
A full council briefing on the issue could come as early as the first week of May — and public hearing could follow shortly after. But if Monday’s discussion was any indicate, the parking reform debate could go on for some time.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathannotforyou.
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