A proposal to change the Dallas parking code was discussed in a meeting on Tuesday night. NBC 5’s Alanna Quillen tells us more.
On Tuesday, the Dallas Housing Coalition hosted a community discussion featuring experts from the City of Austin on the potential benefits of a proposal that would reform Dallas’ parking requirements.
Austin city leaders shared how their own parking code amendments improved housing affordability, street safety, environmental resilience, and transportation options in the capital city.
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WATCH HERE“We want parking in Dallas to match what we need rather than generic government mandates,” said Ashley Brundage, chair of the Dallas Housing Coalition.
Dallas’ current parking mandates were established in the 1960s and 1980s, during a bygone era when the highway system was growing and cars were king. The code requires developers to construct a predetermined number of parking spaces alongside buildings such as apartments and businesses.
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SIGN UP Many experts argue these requirements are outdated and contribute to rising housing costs due to the added cost of constructing more parking space. On top of that, the Dallas Housing Coalition said this contradicts the push toward a more walkable city in growing districts like Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts, Downtown Dallas, and Uptown.
“Eliminating minimum parking requirements is not just a technical zoning change—it’s an opportunity to create a fairer, more livable city for everyone,” said Nathaniel Barrett, a Dallas Housing Coalition member, City of Dallas Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee (ZOAC) member, and Owner of Barrett Urban Development. “Parking mandates impose outdated, car-dependent lifestyle requirements that harm residents and block progress. It’s also important to note that we are advocating for the removal of parking requirements, not existing parking spots within our city.”
Austin became the largest city in the U.S. to eliminate parking requirements in November 2023, a move that experts say has helped reverse unaffordable housing trends.
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In contrast, Dallas has become more expensive, recently falling in the Milken Institute’s rankings of the strongest U.S. economies, with housing affordability cited as a major factor.
“On average in Austin, projects since then have provided about 20% less parking than they did under the mandates, while projects with a majority of restricted affordable units are being built with an average of 40% less parking,” said Monte Anderson, President of Options Real Estate Investments, Inc. “New parking spots are still being built in Austin, just not as many.”
Parking requirements have financial implications beyond land use, with hidden costs ultimately passed on to renters. According to the City of Austin Housing and Planning Department’s Affordability Impact Statement on Eliminating Parking Requirements, a single parking space can add up to $200 to monthly rent.
"When you start thinking about garage and structured parking, that can easily go to $200,000 to $250,000 per space. So that's a huge development cost. And if we're going to be a city that wants to build more housing, this would be a massive step in the right direction for Dallas," said Bryan Tony, executive director of the Dallas Housing Coalition.
The Feb. 4 community discussion starts at 6 p.m. at CWA Local 6215 on 1408 N. Washington Avenue in Dallas. It is free to attend. Click here for more details.
