Zoning Board Members, City Planners Talk Parking Reform at Tuesday Panel Discussion

We already know how the Dallas Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee feels about parking reform. The panel voted in January to recommend the elimination of parking requirements for new development. 

Experts, including two ZOAC members, will discuss Dallas parking reform during the April “Coffee and Conversation” panel from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 9, at The Architecture and Design Exchange, 325 N. St. Paul St., Suite 150. The free hybrid event will also be featured online. Guests can register here. 

Panelists for Tuesday’s discussion include ZOAC members Tipton Housewright and Ryan Behring, and city planners Sarah May and Michael Wade.

Eliminating Parking Minimums

Eliminating parking minimums does not mean existing parking spaces will be wiped out; it just gives developers the option of determining how many spaces they need for new projects instead of adhering to an arbitrary, decades-old code. 

The chief concern of those who oppose a citywide change is spillover parking into neighborhoods. It’s also been argued that people won’t patronize Dallas businesses if adequate parking doesn’t exist. To the contrary, ZOAC members say developers want their businesses to have parking spaces; they just don’t want massive empty lots. 

CandysDirt.com reached out to the panelists last week. Behring and Housewright jointly issued the following statement:

The wisdom of required off-street parking must be critically evaluated in light of DFW’s booming population, skyrocketing housing costs, and ongoing auto-dependency. Parking is abundant in Dallas; as the region’s urban center, Dallas has the responsibility to prioritize attainable housing, vibrant businesses, efficient permitting, quality urban design, walkable neighborhoods, and sustainable transportation systems.

The ZOAC proposal would not remove a single parking space – it simply allows the city to respond to people’s transportation and lifestyle choices over time. This is a vote to hand the next generations of Dallasites a city where they can flourish.”

Ryan Behring and Tipton Housewright, Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee members

The matter will go before the City Plan Commission and ultimately the Dallas City Council. 

The AD EX event is advertised as an opportunity “to learn more about the City of Dallas’ current proposal to remove mandatory parking in the development code, to add additional requirements for design, and the introduction of a Transportation Demand Management Plan program.”