Austin considers lifting parking mandate

The Austin City Council could allow developers to take parking into their own hands.

Council members moved forward with a plan to remove parking mandates citywide for all new developments, 10 years after lifting such mandates within the central business district, KVUE reported. The measure is meant to make Austin less car-reliant, while also opening up more room for future development.

Existing parking spaces wouldn’t be eliminated, said Councilmember Zo Qadri, who initiated the proposal. Property owners could choose how much space they reserve for cars when undertaking new projects.

“Our decades-old policy of top-down parking prescriptions has helped make Austin an overparked, sprawling, car-dependent city,” Quadri told the outlet. “Taking them out of our code will help us achieve our goals of being a safer, more accessible, affordable and sustainable community.”

Fewer parking lots could mean more room for housing to accommodate the steady flow of new residents, Councilmember Ryan Alter said. The measure prioritizes public transit and the environment, he said.

Opponents said the city should prioritize other changes. Councilmember Alison Alter  cited staffing shortages within the planning department, for example. 

Lifting parking mandates is a good idea, but the city must have a plan in place for improved public transit, said Robert Lee, the founder and CEO of Austin-based Pearlstone Partners.

“To get to a point where we’re able to really see the vision that the city has in terms of wanting to see reduced parking … the absolute need is to have a transportation plan,” Lee told the outlet.

The city has until Dec. 31 to bring the measure to a council vote.

If approved, Austin would join a growing list of cities that have taken similar action. In December, San Jose became the largest U.S. city to scrap minimum parking requirements. Boston also removed its parking mandate in January 2022 in an effort to kickstart more affordable housing.

—Quinn Donoghue