To achieve the full benefits of ‘missing middle housing’ and make way for small-lot construction, cities must rethink parking mandates.

In a piece for Sightline, Catie Gould outlines how parking reform can unlock the benefits of missing middle housing and create more affordable housing.
According to Gould, parking mandates that require one to two spots per residential units are a problem “because between small lot sizes or navigating around an existing house, even one more parking spot is a bar that many middle housing projects just can’t clear.”
To make middle housing a truly viable form of housing, “cities need to free these future homes from the tangle of regulations governing parking spaces.” Because parking takes up so much space, requirements have an outsized impact on small lot developments. As Dan Parolek, who coined the term ‘missing middle housing,’ explains, “To make way for four parking spots, a future fourplex would need a parcel of land twice as large as the same fourplex without any off-street parking.” Meanwhile, creating a new parking spot with ingress and egress around an existing home can be impossible.
As Gould notes, recent legislation and zoning reform encouraging middle housing production will only make an impact if parking flexibility is part of the package. Otherwise, ‘outdated’ parking requirements will undermine the ability to build more homes on small lots.
FULL STORY: Unlock Middle Housing with Parking Reform

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
City of Madera
City of Santa Clarita
Borough of Carlisle
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Colorado Energy Office
Pima County Community College District
City of Piedmont, CA
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