Boston could join other major cities in eliminating outdated parking regulations that drive up the cost of housing.
The Boston City Council held a meeting to discuss eliminating minimum parking requirements in an effort to more closely align development with modern parking needs and reduce the cost of building new housing.
As Christian MilNeil explains in Streetsblog Mass, Boston’s outdated parking rules mean the city approves thousands of largely unneeded new parking spots every year. “Frequently, the number of new parking spaces exceeds the number of new apartments and homes that developers build within the city limits – an imbalance of investment and real estate that exacerbates the city's housing shortage and congestion problems.”
According to MilNeil, “In 2023 alone, Boston's planning agency approved 69 large development proposals that would build enough parking to store up to 8,053 more cars into the city – enough to fill all eight lanes of the Southeast Expressway (I-93) with bumper-to-bumper traffic from the Neponset River to downtown Boston.”
An article in Boston Business Journal notes that the city reduced parking requirements for affordable housing in 2021. At Tuesday’s meeting, the council heard public testimony on the issue, though a vote is “not imminent.”
FULL STORY: Boston City Council Hosts Hearing Tuesday On City’s Dated Parking Rules
Chicago Eliminates Parking Minimums Near Transit
Changes to a city ordinance make it easier to build ‘by-right’ car-free developments near train stations and pave the way for more affordable housing.
Colorado Bill Would End Minimum Parking Requirements
Supporters of the bill say eliminating parking mandates would make housing more affordable and reduce carbon emissions.
Montgomery County Moves to Eliminate Parking Mandates
The council unanimously supported a proposal to remove minimum parking requirements near for developments near transit.
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New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
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EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
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Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
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Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association