The Austin City Council could allow developers to take parking spaces into their own hands.
10 years after CBD KVUE deauthorized parking, council members push ahead with plan to deauthorize all new developments citywide Report. The measure is designed to make Austin less dependent on cars, while also opening up more room for future growth.
Councilor Zo Qadri, who sponsored the proposal, said existing parking spaces would not be cancelled. Owners can choose how much space to reserve for the car when working on a new project.
“Our decades-long policy of parking regulations from the top down has made Austin an over-parked, sprawling, car-dependent city,” Quadri told the outlet. “Removing them from our code will help us achieve our goal of being a safer, more accessible, affordable and sustainable community.”
Fewer parking lots could mean more housing space to accommodate steady flow of new residents, city councilor ryan changed explain. He said the measure prioritized public transport and the environment.
Opponents say the city should prioritize other changes.council member alison changed For example, staff shortages within planning departments.
Robert Lee, founder and chief executive of Austin-based Pearlstone Partners, said removing parking regulations was a good idea, but the city must develop a plan to improve public transit.
“In order to get to the vision where we can really see what the city wants to see with less parking … there absolutely needs to be a traffic plan,” Lee told the outlet.
The city has until Dec. 31 to bring the measure to a council vote.
If approved, Austin would join a growing list of cities that have taken similar action. San Jose becomes America’s largest city in December scrap Minimum parking requirements.boston and delete Parking authorization for January 2022 in an effort to kickstart more affordable housing.
— Quinn Donoghue
