Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse
Strategy-of-the-Month Club
 
April 2007
 
 
Did you know that minimum parking space requirements can
significantly increase the cost of housing? To promote
housing affordability, many jurisdictions are now opting
to reduce parking requirements or eliminate them
altogether. Searching for ways to promote high-density
urban developments near mass transit, the following
cities are implementing flexible parking requirements:
 
o In Portland, Oregon, central city parking standards
were eliminated six years ago. Today, a new 261-unit
project includes 24 condos without parking, and is
located near mass transit.
 
o Seattle approved a 251-unit development, currently
under construction, where 43 of the units have
assigned parking, 83 have no parking, and the others
have a permit parking system.
 
o San Francisco revoked minimum parking requirements
in the city's central core. The new parking maximums
allow prospective buyers the option of purchasing a
parking space, which lowers housing prices in the
downtown area.
 
Additional information on efforts of jurisdictions
around the country to make housing more affordable
through changes to local parking requirements can be
found at https://www.huduser.gov/rbc/search/rbcdetails.asp?DocId=1548.
 
We hope this information proves useful to you in your
efforts to create affordable housing. If you have
regulatory reform strategies or resources that you'd
like to share, send us an email at rbcsubmit@huduser.gov,
call us at 1-800-245-2691 (option 4), or visit our
website at www.regbarriers.org.
 
Feel free to forward this message to anyone who is
working to reduce regulatory barriers to affordable
housing.
 
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