City Council To Decide On June 30th Whether To Eliminate All Parking Requirements
by Charles C. Bonniwell
Parking Woes: Denverites may find it increasingly difficult to locate parking spaces around Denver if the City Council adopts a proposal to eliminate all parking requirements in the city.
The Denver Planning Commission has passed on a recommendation to the Denver City Council to let developers decide what, if any, parking will be provided for a project, and allow existing businesses and housing complexes to eliminate any and all existing parking requirements.
Denver has some of the least demanding parking requirements in the state with city ordinances requiring:
1 parking space per dwelling unit.
2 parking spaces per retail or office space.
4 parking spaces per thousand feet of a bar or restaurant space.
In comparison, the City of Glendale requires 1.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit, 4 per thousand feet of retail or office space and 11 per th
Flor Alvidrez: The Councilwoman for District 7 believes that by adopting the proposal for eliminating all parking requirements for Denver the city will be helping to fulfill its moral obligation to address climate change.
ousand feet of bar or restaurant space.
The Planning Board’s recommendation is strongly supported by Mayor Mike Johnston and various more progressive City Council members. “Let the market decide” is not a phrase often used by progressive politicians but is constantly invoked in this parking battle. Opponents have responded
Kevin Flynn: The District 2 Councilman worries the elimination of all parking requirements will result in fewer housing projects in Denver for families.
that, in fact, if “let the market decide” is a new guiding principle there is no reason for zoning laws or planning commissions to exist at all.
Rachel Marion, Denver Planning Board member, argued that doing away with all parking requirements would “open up a lot of creativity, development, and vibrancy downtown and in a number of spaces.”
One disputes that it would also result in far fewer empty parking spaces in various parts of the city and making it more difficult to drive to a Denver location. According to proponents of the proposal, such a result would be a positive and not a negative result of the proposal.
Progressives generally do not support the use of automobiles since, among other detriments, it increases the use of fossil fuels, which in turn increases global climate change. They argue individuals, if forced to, will walk, use bikes, or employ public transportation. City Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez has asserted, regarding the proposal, that Denver has a moral obligation to address climate change, and the proposal is one way to help address that obligation.
Not all members of Denver City Council are on board with eliminating all parking requirements. Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer has asserted that she has surveyed her constituents and concluded: “My residents don’t want this.”
Amanda Sawyer: The District 5 Councilwoman has stated her residents simply do not want the proposed elimination of all parking requirements for the City and County of Denver.
City Councilman Kevin Flynn noted that the proposal will limit new housing for families as parents with young children often depend on automobiles to take the entire family to a location.
The cost of providing a parking space is estimated to be $50,000 and thus developers generally seek to limit the number of spaces they need to provide. If possible, they prefer to cannibalize existing street parking but that may make it difficult not to clog up residential streets across the city.
In some residential streets, street signs have already appeared declaring parking on a particular street is restricted to “residents only.” Opponents of the proposal also fear that owners of apartment buildings. will see the proposal as an opportunity to build on lots for a cash infusion.
Colorado citizens living outside Denver are not immune from the desire by some to get rid of parking requirements. Last year, the Colorado Legislature passed a law HD 24-1304 which stopped local governments from enacting and enforcing minimum parking laws for apartments and other multi-family residential projects near high frequency bus and train lines in Colorado’s largest metro areas. It is anticipated that 15 home rule cities will file a lawsuit claiming that the law violates the state constitution regarding the powers of home rule cities in Colorado.
It has become clear that many politicians both locally and statewide view the use of automobiles by individuals as undesirable and it must be restricted to the greatest extent possible for the common good. Whether the citizens of Denver and Colorado concur has yet to be determined.
