Spreading the Parking Reform Love Around Downtown Houston

"[Houston's] latest proposal to eliminate off-street parking requirements in Midtown and East Downtown got a vote of confidence from the management districts of both neighborhoods when staff members presented it to them [recently]," according to scoop on the Swamplot website. 

"There’s still a ways to go before the map becomes more than a pretty picture: A 30-day public comment period will culminate in a recap next month. Then city council gets its final say on things at a meeting proponents hope will take place before the end of the year."

Angie Schmitt provides additional perspective and information on the potential changes to Houston's parking requirements:

Midtown and East Downtown (EaDo) have been proposed as extensions of the downtown area that would allow new developments to be built without requiring a large amount of off-street parking, or any off-street parking at all. The two neighborhoods currently have about 10,000 residents, with strong transit access and plenty of room to grow.

Schmitt notes that despite its reputation as a city relatively free of land use regulations, Houston has relatively high parking requirements compared to national averages. The changes have the potential to make these large corners of Houston much more walkable, according to Schmitt.