Brown targets Marion County parking mandates
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An Indianapolis city-county councilor wants to eliminate parking requirements for new development to make housing more affordable, dense and walkable.
The big picture: More cities and states have moved away from requirements that new developments include a minimum number of parking spaces and studies have found developers built parking when needed, saved money otherwise and freed space for housing, retail and green space.
- North Carolina just passed a law to eliminate parking minimums statewide, joining California, Oregon and Minnesota.
- Several other states have passed reforms in large portions of their cities and communities across the country are considering similar proposals.
Driving the news: Councilor Jesse Brown says it's time for Marion County to follow suit. His proposal to eliminate minimum parking-space mandates across Marion County was heard at the metropolitan and economic development committee meeting Monday night.
- Instead of requiring a set number of spaces, Brown said developers would let the market determine how many, if any, additional parking spaces a new project would need to accommodate the traffic it would drive.
- "Developers can decide and government doesn't need to get involved," he said.
- The city has already eliminated some zoning rules that require parking-space minimums for downtown development in and around the Mile Square.
State of play: Brown's proposal received support from several councilors Monday, but the conversation has been tabled until after the city's budget-writing season.
- Councilors John Barth and Nick Roberts said they were supportive.
- "It isn't anti-parking," Roberts said. "It's anti-red tape."
The other side: Republican Michael-Paul Hart said he's open to a conversation about expanding the areas of the county that are exempt from parking minimums. Still, the current proposal is too broad for his taste.
What's next: The conversation will continue at the committee's November meeting.
Meanwhile, Department of Metropolitan Development Director Megan Vukusich says a parking study is underway to give city officials a better idea of how much parking the city has compared to current and future demand.
- It should be completed early next year.
- "We're open to exploring this," she said, about changing parking development standards. "We're excited to get more data and make informed recommendations on what any policy changes could be."