Parking Requirements Removed Near Cleveland Transit Stops

Cleveland is the latest U.S. city to join the parking reform movement, by removing minimum parking requirements for new development located within a quarter mile of transit stops with bus or train service every 15 minutes.

“Currently, owners of new projects must build off-street parking or obtain a zoning variance, city planner Matt Moss told Signal Cleveland. City code requires one parking space per new housing unit. Businesses’ parking mandates are tied to square footage and the number of employees,” reports Nick Castele.

“Under the new scheme, developers would skip the parking requirement and instead invest in other forms of transportation – such as bike parking, transit passes for tenants or pro-pedestrian streetscape improvements. Cleveland’s City Planning Commission would review developers’ proposals,” adds Castele.

According to Castele, the parking reforms are part of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s push for a 15-minute city approach to transportation and land use, prioritizing transit oriented development and walkability over automobile dependency and car-centric planning and land use patterns.

Cleveland Planning Director Joyce Pan Huang is also cited in the article, describing how parking requirements have contributed to sprawl.