Baltimore Seeks to Stem Population Loss by Eliminating Parking Requirements, Legalizing Single-Stair Buildings

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott signed a suite of zoning reform laws that seek to encourage more housing construction, reports Lee O. Sanderlin in The Baltimore Banner. “The new laws remove requirements for off-street parking, allow people to build closer to the edges of their property lines, and eliminate a requirement that new buildings between four and six stories have more than one stairwell.”

Some of the reforms were the subject of furious opposition from city councilmembers who fear they will lead to the displacement of longtime Black residents. According to a prior Baltimore Banner article, “Councilman James Torrence, who represents a swath of West Baltimore, said the bills would usher in unfavorable development including methadone clinics into majority Black and brown neighborhoods.”

“For years, housing advocates like Councilman Ryan Dorsey have tried to make it easier for developers and homeowners to redevelop vacant land or derelict buildings.” However, Sanderlin adds, “Whether these reforms are actually the cure they’re described as remains to be seen — progress will be measured in years, if not decades.”