Lawmakers hear wide-ranging testimony for and against ending municipal parking minimums (HB 7061)

Supporters and opponents of a bill to ban municipal parking minimums testified for hours before the Planning and Development Committee on Feb. 28, arguing over whether state law should prohibit local governments from requiring a set number of off‑street parking spaces for new development.

Proponents said the mandate is an outdated, costly relic that raises housing prices, wastes land and drives car dependence. Opponents said local conditions—narrow roads, limited transit and public‑safety needs—mean towns must retain the power to require parking in some cases.

Advocates framed the issue as a statewide policy fix. “Parking mandates tend to be irrational,” said Sarah Bronin, former chair of Hartford’s Planning and Zoning Commission and founder of Desegregate Connecticut, calling the rules arbitrary and harmful to housing and main‑street businesses. Daniel Harriges, policy director at the Parking Reform Network, told the committee the reform is “not some sort of radical or risky experiment” and cited a wave of municipal and state actions around the U.S. to reduce or end…