Richmond Set to Eliminate Requirements for Minimum Parking Spaces.

The City’s Planning Commission unanimously passed a proposal to eliminate minimum parking requirements in the city, as reported by Em Holter in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, joining a growing national movement. “The hope is that by not mandating developers to build parking lots or garages, there will be more space available to construct additional housing units, ultimately increasing the city’s housing stock.”

Minimum parking requirements, often based on unrealistic or arbitrary guidelines, can raise the cost of housing construction, promote sprawl, and reduce the land available for green spaces. “Developers are often required to build more parking spaces than needed, resulting in empty parking lots and parking decks with high floors remaining unused.”

Proponents of the motion say that it would allow developers to create housing in response to market demand. In Richmond, it appears unlikely that removing parking minimums would result in a parking scarcity. According to Holter, “The city has approved 50 large-scale residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects in the previous five years. In total, the city required 4,789 spaces. Developers provided 12,646.”