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Hilliard student urges council to remove parking minimums, citing housing affordability and walkability
Summary
A local resident and student asked the council to reduce or remove city parking minimums, pointing to examples from other small cities and linking the change to housing affordability and walkable development.
Anthony Schoenfeldt, a Hilliard resident and student, asked the council during public comment to consider removing or reducing minimum parking requirements in the city code (chapter 1127).
Schoenfeldt said such requirements “make housing more expensive,” hurt small businesses and encourage car dependency. He cited other U.S. cities such as Dover, New Hampshire; Grants Pass, Oregon; and Burlington, Vermont as places that have removed parking minimums and seen more mixed‑use development.
City staff members present said Hilliard already grants variances in parts of the old Hilliard area and that the planning department has had informal conversations about areas that might be suitable for code adjustments. City planner Talentino encouraged Schoenfeldt to submit a formal code review request; staff offered to meet with him to discuss specifics.
“Let's make Hilliard a place that plans for people, not just their parked cars,” Schoenfeldt said.
Council members who spoke encouraged the student’s ongoing advocacy and asked staff to follow up; staff agreed to schedule a meeting with Schoenfeldt and a planner to discuss options and possible targeted areas for code change.
Ending
Staff said they will follow up with the speaker and explore potential next steps; no formal code change was proposed or voted on at the meeting.
