Parking Requirements for Residential Transit-Oriented Development

Dorsett offers a summary of the residential Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) parking minimums and maximums stipulated within the zoning ordinances of the core city of the 40 largest US metropolitan areas and presents TOD parking generation data. The purpose is to aggregate this information and provide a broader view of parking standards nationwide, assisting developers and planners in right-sizing residential TOD parking. The key finding of a comprehensive zoning ordinance review is that a reduction in parking minimums for residential TOD developments has been acknowledged by a majority of the largest US cities and this is now a contemporary standard and practice. This study finds 28 of the 40 cities, or 70 percent, have multi-family residential TOD parking requirements that are less than 1.0 parking space per residential dwelling unit (DU). Thirty-three of the 40 cities were identified as either not having a multi-family residential parking minimum or offering a reduction for proximity to transit. At least two of the seven cities excluded from the list of 33--Atlanta GA and St. Louis MO--have been engaged in discussions that would amend the parking minimums section of their ordinances or allow for a residential TOD parking reduction.