Montgomery County Moves to Eliminate Parking Mandates

The Montgomery County Council unanimously supported the introduction of a measure to eliminate minimum parking requirements in the county, reports Katie Shepherd in The Washington Post. The measure is scheduled for a public hearing in January and could pass early next year.

“Council members on Tuesday said the move is intended to encourage residents to go car-free and reduce the cost of new housing to tackle two of the county’s most pressing concerns: the climate crisis and the affordable housing shortage,” Shepherd explains.

The proposal would remove parking minimums for developments near rail and bus rapid transit stations. “By drawing in more residents who do not need or want to own a car, the council members said they hope to reduce the number of vehicles on county roads and thereby reduce carbon emissions.”

The council added that “Instead of requiring developers to build even more parking spaces that may go unused, the council members said the county needs to evaluate how to more efficiently use the spaces that already exist.”