Small Towns Experience Economic Benefits After Removing Parking Minimums

While major urban areas like New York and San Francisco have garnered attention for eliminating parking minimums, smaller towns across the United States are now experiencing significant financial benefits from similar reforms. According to the Parking Reform Network's mandates map, for every large city that has removed these requirements, two smaller towns have successfully done the same. This shift is providing a crucial economic boost to municipalities that have long struggled with vacant properties and stagnant development.

Port Townsend, Washington, a historic waterfront town with a population just over 10,000, eliminated parking mandates in 2024, converting minimum parking requirements to recommendations instead. This change followed research indicating the city was using too many parking spaces that could be better utilized. Similarly, Charlottesville, Virginia, with a population of 47,000, passed a comprehensive zoning code in late 2023 that did away with parking requirements. These examples demonstrate that parking reform is not exclusive to large metropolitan areas.

For cities like Haltom City, Texas, current stringent parking requirements present a significant barrier to redevelopment. Joe Palmer, communications director for the Haltom United Business Alliance, notes that many vacant properties in older commercial corridors lack sufficient space to meet existing parking mandates, forcing potential business owners to set up shop elsewhere. Palmer believes eliminating these mandates would help bring small businesses back to areas like Denton Highway and Carson Street, providing jobs and improving city aesthetics. The historical context reveals how American cities became mired in excessive parking requirements during the 20th century as automobile ownership became the norm, leading to zoning codes that mandated more parking than necessary.

Ron Sturgeon, founder of Haltom United Business Alliance, identifies parking mandates as the primary reason vacant properties cannot attract tenants, arguing these regulations hamper the city's ability to bring prosperity back to the area. He emphasizes that businesses operating in the city would help ease the tax burden on residents. The economic implications are clear: removing parking minimums could revitalize older areas by reviving development that has ground to a halt due to outdated requirements. As smaller towns continue to demonstrate the benefits of parking reform, the pressure mounts for other municipalities to reconsider their zoning approaches to foster economic growth and community revitalization.