New businesses in Birmingham, Alabama will no longer have to provide a minimum number of parking spaces.
The Birmingham, Alabama city council passed a “landmark” parking reform measure this week to eliminate minimum parking requirements for new businesses citywide, according to local news outlet WVTM 13. The measure, called the “Right Side Parking Initiative,” is part of the city’s plans to become more walkable, bikeable, and transit accessible.
“The city stated parking spaces will not be totally eliminated for new businesses, but will allow them flexibility in supporting their customers' needs,” and “The Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for parking will remain the same,” reports WVTM 13’s Shannon Delcambre.
With this reform, Birmingham joins the ranks of more than 70 U.S. cities to have eliminated parking minimums, including San Francisco, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Cincinnati, and Minneapolis. Research shows that removing parking mandates can also lower the cost of housing production, encourage affordable workforce housing, and reduces the heating effect on the environment, Delcambre writes.
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