To Boost Housing, Chicago Kills Parking Minimums
As part of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s efforts to eliminate zoning rules that block new home construction, the city joins a national parking policy reform movement.
Chicago’s Marina City includes perhaps the city’s most famous parking structure. Most apartment buildings have less attractive parking facilities.
Photographer: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Next to putting ketchup on a hot dog, there may be no easier way to court controversy in Chicago than trying to change a zoning law. After contentious community meetings, it’s not unusual to have local ward leaders tweak these land-use rules to block proposed new housing development.
So local housing advocates, eager to see rule changes that would permit more home construction, were pleasantly surprised in July when the Chicago City Council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance eliminating parking minimums near public transit. That means apartment developers no longer have to provide parking for tenants if their project comes within a half mile of a Chicago Transit Authority and Metra rail line or a quarter mile away from a bus line.