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Council to hear zoning amendment proposal to remove parking minimums for new housing; advocates and critics press competing concerns
Summary
Councilor Erika Durkin filed a hearing order to consider eliminating parking minimum requirements for new residential developments across Boston. Supporters said removing arbitrary parking minimums can lower housing costs and support climate goals; opponents raised concerns about neighborhood parking impacts and access for working families.
Councilor Erika Durkin introduced a hearing order on Jan. 8 asking the council’s Planning, Development and Transportation Committee to examine a text amendment removing parking minimums for new residential developments in Boston. Durkin said off‑street parking requirements “increase housing costs and limit our ability to create the homes our city desperately needs” and urged a data‑driven hearing.
Councilor Henry Santana, a cosponsor, emphasized the proposal’s potential to increase housing supply and support sustainable, transit‑oriented development. Durkin and Santana cited experience from Boston’s previous removal of parking minimums for affordable housing and pointed to comparable policy changes in nearby cities.
Several councilors expressed concerns about neighborhood impacts. Councilor Mihir Flynn, representing Chinatown and other neighborhoods with car‑dependent residents, said many working families and seniors “need a car to get to work, to get to doctors’ appointments,” and warned about the difficulty of finding street parking. Councilor Clarissa Zapata (environmental justice chair) said she supported the hearing but asked that neighborhood master plans and existing parking regulations be considered to avoid unintended harm in areas that have already developed block‑by‑block parking policies.
Councilors raised possible mitigation approaches — such as location‑specific standards, income‑adjusted parking access for subsidized housing, or requirements for affordable parking where needed — and called for hearings that would bring developers, transit planners, neighborhood groups, and housing advocates together.
Ending: The proposal was filed for a committee hearing; sponsors said the goal is to gather data and stakeholder testimony so the council can weigh housing, equity and transportation tradeoffs before any change to the zoning code.
