Denver eliminates parking minimums for new developments

The City of Denver will remove parking minimums for new projects across the city to spur more housing development. Lifting the parking requirement, advocates say, can reduce development costs.

Before the City Council voted to abolish parking minimums, Denver apartment buildings were required to have at least one parking space per unit. Bars and restaurants needed roughly four spaces per 1,000 square feet. 

Downtown developments and single-family homes were already exempt from parking minimum rules. Some residents are concerned that the new policy will make parking spaces scarcer, but local leaders and advocates say the city needs more housing, not more parking.

Advocates cited several properties where developers built more parking than was required, and parking lots that often sit empty. The measure could also help public transit become more popular.