A sweeping reform to Dallas’ 60-year-old parking code eliminates parking minimums for many developments and aims to reduce barriers to entry for businesses, promote walkability and tighten up land use.
The City Council approved the parking reform in a 14-1 vote Wednesday, the Dallas Business Journal reported. It removes minimum requirements for properties near transit-oriented developments, office buildings, most retail, places of worship under 20,000 square feet, certain apartment complexes and bars and restaurants smaller than 2,500 square feet.
The changes are part of a broader effort to align zoning and infrastructure with the city’s ForwardDallas 2.0 land-use plan, which encourages higher density, pedestrian-first development and less concrete-intensive site planning. Councilmember Chad West, who has championed parking reform since 2019, said the overhaul represents a critical step toward streamlining permitting and supporting housing affordability.
“This reform will improve government efficiency and cut red tape while creating more affordable housing, supporting small business entrepreneurship and preserving historic buildings,” West said.
Advocates including The Real Estate Council and Better Block Foundation praised the measure for promoting flexibility and reducing the financial strain on developers. Requiring costly structured parking, which can run up to $50,000 per stall, increases housing costs and undermines infill development, said Adam Lamont of Dallas Neighbors for Housing.
“Just like there’s no such thing as a free lunch, there is no such thing as free parking,” Lamont said. “We pay for it in lost opportunities for housing, green space and small businesses.”
Critics, however, argued the policy may be “overly urbanistic” for a city still heavily reliant on cars. Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn, the sole vote against the reform, said the approach doesn’t meet the needs of her Far North Dallas district. Others worried about uneven impacts across neighborhoods.
The code still mandates at least one accessible parking space or drop-off point per site, and the policy will be re-evaluated in 2027. Proponents note the effects will take time, but see it as a necessary shift to help Dallas evolve.
“Now is the time to reimagine our priorities,” said Better Block’s Imani Lytle, “not just around cars, but around people, community and the kind of city we want to become.”
— Judah Duke
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