On May 14, 2021, the City Council adopted a comprehensive overhaul of the city's parking, loading, and travel demand management zoning regulations. The amended regulations include the elements below.

• Eliminates minimum off-street parking requirements citywide.
• Incrementally lowers maximum parking allowances citywide.
• Increases bicycle parking requirements, and requirements for associated shower and locker facilities in large-scale developments.
• Establishes requirements for electrical vehicle charging infrastructure in new parking lots and structures.
• Amends the travel demand management (TDM) ordinance to apply more broadly and reorient regulations toward achieving the City’s climate goals, which includes having three out of every five trips taken in Minneapolis by walking, bicycling or transit.

The ordinance advances several Minneapolis 2040 goals, including climate change resilience and a clean environment by reducing reliance on cars and supporting the growth of electric vehicle infrastructure. It also promotes the goals of affordable and accessible housing and complete neighborhoods by improving the feasibility of development at varying scales in locations throughout Minneapolis.

Table of Contents 

1. Minneapolis 2040 Goals
2. Resources
3. Timeline
4. Recommendations
5. Rationale
6. History of Parking Reform in Minneapolis

RESOURCES

• FINAL ADOPTED Parking, Loading, and Mobility Zoning Code Text Amendment - May 14, 2021
• DRAFT Parking, Loading, and Mobility Zoning Code Text Amendment - April 12, 2021
• DRAFT Parking, Loading, and Mobility Zoning Code Text Amendment - March 12, 2021
• Planning Commission Committee of the Whole Memo - March 11, 2021
• Planning Commission Committee of the Whole Presentation Slides - March 11, 2021
• Planning Commission Committee of the Whole Memo - August 20, 2020

TIMELINE

Planning Commission Committee of the Whole - March 11, 2021

Planning Commission Public Hearing – April 12, 2021

Business, Inspections, Housing, and Zoning Committee – May 4, 2021

City Council – May 14, 2021

Published Ordinance in Effect – May 22, 2021

RATIONALE
Parking and Loading ordinance reform is aimed at achieving the policy goals in Minneapolis 2040 and the Transportation Action Plan, and is supported by the findings of a wide variety of publications and academic research. Ordinance reform also aligns with related efforts to generally improve the built environment in a manner that is supportive of alternative forms of transportation.

• The cost of producing parking is paid for by residential owners and renters, whether they use it or not. This results in inflated housing costs, particularly for lower income households. [citation]
• Providing an overabundance of parking incentivizes automobile use at the expense of more efficient and environmentally friendly forms of transportation. This ultimately results in greater demands being placed on roadways and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. [citation 1, 2]
• Dedication of large portions of land to inactive uses such as parking reduces the efficiency with which land is used, reducing the ability of residents to satisfy their daily transportation needs within a small geographic footprint.
• Walkable urban design best practices are made less effective when they must accommodate parking, drive aisles, and curb cuts for automobiles.
• Parking reform has the added benefit of reducing the number of staff hours spent administering parking-related provisions in the zoning ordinance, with the intended trade-off of spending more time working with developers and businesses to meet the City’s transportation goals.
• Regulatory relief for businesses is also intended with these changes. Much of the built environment in Minneapolis predates the proliferation of automobile use, and as such many existing properties do not have existing dedicated parking. Eliminating requirements can make it easier for businesses to establish themselves in existing properties throughout Minneapolis.

Minneapolis 2040 and the Transportation Action Plan highlight a series of transportation goals. The following review focuses on the Travel Demand Management (TDM) practices that have the greatest impact on achieving those goals, particularly as they relate to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These goals can primarily be achieved through encouraging mode shift away from single occupancy vehicles to other forms of transportation. A review by the Federal Highway Administration highlights the importance of acknowledging that most effects of TDM best practices are very local, and are difficult to evaluate at a citywide or even corridor level. [citation] Other actions and investments by government entities are needed to maximize the impacts of TDM plans. Minneapolis 2040 and the Transportation Action Plan addresses many of these other actions that are necessary such as provision of adequate pedestrian, bicycle, and transit infrastructure, and transit supportive development regulations.

Strategies to address travel demand brought on by new development typically fall into a small handful of categories.

• Support, promotion of, or information related to alternative forms of transportation
• Direct provision of alternative forms of transportation
• Financial incentives and physical improvements aimed at encouraging users to choose other forms of transportation

When paired with provision of a strong public transit system, supportive land uses, and streets designed to accommodate varied modes of transportation, these strategies become more effective. Conversely, when abundant and free parking is provided, these strategies become less effective. [citation]

This is important context to consider when adopting strategies that will be most effective in Minneapolis. Studies and literature reviews highlight the primary importance of development occurring within an existing land use framework with a mix of uses and/or transit service. These conditions are present in Minneapolis to a greater extent than anywhere else in the metro area. Development within Minneapolis by its nature will produce fewer single occupancy vehicle trips and induce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than development elsewhere in the region. Travel demand management best practices should therefore be seen as existing in the greater context of a supportive land use and built form policy and transit investment framework. In that light, staff proposes TDM requirements that will supplement larger efforts to support walking, cycling, and transit – these regulations should not be seen as working in a vacuum to achieve the city’s transportation and climate action goals.