Minneapolis Eliminates Parking Minimums

[Chef]

Minneapolis council OKs eliminating parking requirements on new developments
The change passed 13-0.
By Zoë Jackson Star Tribune MAY 14, 2021 — 11:41AM

RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII, STAR TRIBUNE FILE

The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously Friday to fully eliminate minimum parking requirements on new developments citywide.

Parking minimums previously required developers to include parking when they build new commercial and residential structures.

Ahead of the 13-0 vote, City Council President Lisa Bender said that the change aligns with the city's climate and green house gas emission goals outlined in the Minneapolis 2040 plan.

"Parking drives so much about the design of buildings and the cost of housing in our city ... this opens up so much possibility, especially to develop the smaller-scale projects that so many of our constituents point to as they tell us the kind of projects and housing they want to see in their communities," Bender said.

https://www.startribune.com/minneapo...nts/600057275/

[Kngkyle]

Are there any other major US cities that have done this?

[Steely Dan]

minneapolis always making the smart moves on the urban front.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

minneapolis always making the smart moves on the urban front.

But in this case it's awfully late to the party:

San Francisco Eliminates Parking Minimums
By Angie Schmitt
Dec 17, 2018

In a win for housing affordability and walkability, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted last week to eliminate the city’s minimum parking requirements.

The reform, approved by a 7-4 vote last Tuesday, makes SF the latest city to dump antiquated rules that constitute a huge hidden subsidy for driving. Hartford, Buffalo and Minneapolis have all either moved to or done away with parking minimums in the last two years alone.

According to estimates by SF’s planning department, minimum parking rules add between $20-50,000 to the cost of an apartment in the city. They also undermine pedestrian safety, requiring dangerous driveways to be built in some of the most densely populated, walkable areas of the city. And they also contributes to traffic, encouraging residents to own private cars, instead of take the train or bus or bike . . . .

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/12/...king-minimums/

[Pedestrian]

And how about doing it statewide?

April 7, 2021

. . . Housing advocates are backing a state bill [in California] to ban cities from imposing minimum parking requirements on new apartments and shops within a half mile of train stations and bus routes. The bill is designed to encourage transit use and rein in city mandates for big, costly parking lots, which can make building apartments and commercial projects unattractive to developers.

“Cars and parking have a huge environmental costs,” said Assemblymember Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, who co-authored the bill with Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. “The cost of our housing has gotten higher because of the huge costs that parking add to a housing development.”

But opponents have long warned of traffic and congestion horrors if residents and shoppers continue to use vehicles instead of transit. The League of California Cities is taking a wait-and-see approach, while the slow-growth group Livable California is considering a formal position on the bill.

The bill, AB 1401, is one of several measures aimed at combating the state’s housing crisis. After a series of setbacks last year, pro-housing groups have returned with individual bills seeking smaller steps to boost development . . . .

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/04/...-could-happen/

Notice that says "within half a mile of bus routes". Since most places in San Francisco have a bus stop within 2 blocks, that would effectively mean the whole city (if it didn't already have its own ban) and much of other larger cities.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

But in this case it's awfully late to the party:

I didn't realize it was a race.

i'm just happy anytime a US city abolishes mandatory parking minimums, whether it's done today, yesterday, or 3 years ago.




"minneapolis, you made the right call!"

[dave8721]

Originally Posted by Kngkyle

Are there any other major US cities that have done this?

Miami did it about 10 years ago for properties that fall within a certain distance of a transit stop which is most of the highly developed parts of the city. They just need a waiver. Only a few developments have taken advantage though and they are all large scale highrises. I can't think of many small scale buildings that have applied to have no parking.

[homebucket]

Congrats! To Minneapolis, for joining SF and Miami on the urban front lines to eliminate parking minimums.

Are there any other major US cities that have done this?

[mhays]

I wish Seattle would do that. So far only half way...some good sized areas with no requirements, and much of the city had the requirements reduced, and none is required for new accessory units. But a lot of requirements remain. Good job Minneapolis.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by homebucket

Are there any other major US cities that have done this?

chicago partly did it 6 years ago, but like miami, it's not unilaterally city-wide.

it currently only applies to new developments within certain distances of el/metra stops and city-designated "pedestrian streets".

which is a very good chunk of what constitutes chicago's "urban core"; things obviously start getting pulled ever further apart out in the bungalow belt.

and of course, this being chicago, they make the developer jump through an extra hoop to "earn" it.

so this minneapolis blanket abolition is obviously FAR superior.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

chicago partly did it 6 years ago, but like miami, it's not unilaterally city-wide.

it currently only applies to new developments within certain distances of el/metra stops and city-designated "pedestrian streets".

and of course, this being chicago, they make the developer jump through an extra hoop to "earn" it.

so this minneapolis blanket abolition is obviously FAR superior.

Not bad. Still a good step. Hopefully Oakland and SJ will soon follow as well.

[benp]

Originally Posted by Kngkyle

Are there any other major US cities that have done this?

Buffalo eliminated parking minimums citywide in 2017 as part of its Green Code.

- https://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/01/03/buffalo-becomes-first-major-city-to-eliminate-damaging-parking-rules/

[The North One]

The whole concept of a parking minimum is such insanity. IDK how it was justified to force parking in the first place especially since developers have no problem building parking when they want it and in excess, they don't need to be forced. US cities should now start taking the next big step, which is adopting parking maximums at least for central areas.

Anyway, Detroit's CBD zoning has no parking minimums. There's also another zoning type with no minimums but I forgot what it was. The city is adopting a massive zoning overhaul later this year that will eliminate parking minimums in many areas. I don't think it will be city-wide though.

Congrats Minneapolis.

[mhays]

Aren't parking maximums pretty common? Seattle's maximum for Downtown offices is 1 per 1,000 sf, or about one for every 5 or 6 workers.