A proposal to eliminate parking minimums in the entire city would also expand Burlington’s Transportation Demand Management program.

A proposed ordinance in Burlington, Vermont would eliminate that city’s minimum parking requirements in favor of a more market-oriented approach that would allow developers to build parking if and when the demand for it exists, reports Lilly St. Angelo for the Burlington Free Press. While some city councilmembers support the ordinance, saying it could boost housing construction and limit driving, others express the usual concerns about straining available street parking.
Along with removing parking minimums in certain parts of the city two years ago, Burlington also created parking maximums—an unusually bold move that some developers disagree with. As we recently covered in a prior story, some lenders impose their own parking requirements on developers seeking to secure a building loan, sometimes putting themselves at odds with cities and states working to reduce or eliminate parking requirements.
“Besides taking away minimums, passing the ordinance would expand the city's Transportation Demand Management Program to the whole city instead of just the densest parts.” This program currently requires developers of projects with more than 10 units or 15,000 square feet in a downtown zoning district to follow a set of requirements that include “educating tenants on public transit and car share opportunities, providing free car-share memberships for two years and transit passes for one year to tenants, and doing an annual parking utilization study that is reported to the city. Developers also must unbundle the price of parking from rent.”
FULL STORY: Burlington may eliminate parking minimums for builders city-wide. Here are the possible effects.

The Right to Mobility
As we consider how to decarbonize transportation, preserving mobility, especially for lower- and middle-income people, must be a priority.

Bend Eliminates Parking Minimums
The city is complying with an Oregon state mandate that some cities have challenged in court.

How Virginia Counties Use Zoning to Stifle Development
Some state legislators are proposing action at the state level as counties block development using zoning and development requirements even as housing prices rise sharply in the region.

How Federal Policy Can Support More Affordable Housing in Exclusionary Communities
The recently funded “Yes In My Back Yard” federal grant program provides support for local and state governments to implement housing policy reforms, but it doesn’t go far enough to undo the exclusionary practices of wealthy communities.

Increased Service, Employer Tax Breaks Entice Transit Ridership in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland transit planners are hoping workers returning to the office in 2023 will rediscover the benefits of a public transit commute.

NYC Mayor Adams Proposes Ambitious Housing Agenda in State of the City Address
Housing is one of four “pillars” proposed by Mayor Eric Adams in his “Working People’s Agenda.”
Town of Reading
Meridian Consultants
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Piedmont, CA
City of Morganton
St. Louis County, MO
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.