Dallas Council Memo Suggests Ending Parking Requirements

City staff were asked to evaluate the potential for reducing parking and eliminating or altering minimum parking requirements.

2 minute read

September 12, 2023, 9:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Aerial view of downtown Dallas surface parking lots

Surface parking lots in downtown Dallas, Texas. | Felix Mizioznikov / Adobe Stock

A memo initially meant to support a PARK(ing) Day event in Dallas went further than expected when it “also called on Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax to reduce parking in the city, brief city officials on the status of that goal and look into the “elimination of minimum parking requirements in the city” — a major overhaul to the city’s decades old parking code.”

According to an article by Nathan Collins for KERA News, the memo, written by Council Member Chad West, was submitted in early August. Cities around the country are removing minimum parking requirements as part of their efforts to make housing more affordable and limit sprawl and the need for car use.

Collins notes that under the city’s current parking policy, developers are required to build an off-street parking spot for each bedroom in a residential unit, raising the cost of housing construction. “City staff also says the code poses a barrier to redevelopment of existing buildings, disproportionately burdens small business and could delay environmental and walkability goals the city has adopted.”

Some city councilmembers say their districts are ‘underparked,’ while others point to the many surface parking lots in the city that could be more efficiently used. Andreea Udrea, assistant director of the city’s planning and urban design department, said during a council briefing that the management of existing parking spaces is the city’s biggest problem. “The supply is not managed. Meaning, if it overspills, there’s no tools to deal with that, there’s no tools for design.”

Any proposed amendments to the zoning code will likely reach the City Council in late 2023 or early 2024.

Wednesday, September 6, 2023 in KERA News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

1 hour ago - Streetsblog USA

Close-up on BLM sign on Continental Divide Trail in Rawlins, Wyoming.

BLM To Rescind Public Lands Rule

The change will downgrade conservation, once again putting federal land at risk for mining and other extractive uses.

3 hours ago - Public Domain

Calvary Street bridge over freeway in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Indy Neighborhood Group Builds Temporary Multi-Use Path

Community members, aided in part by funding from the city, repurposed a vehicle lane to create a protected bike and pedestrian path for the summer season.

5 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive