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Plan commission discusses eliminating minimum commercial parking requirements; staff seeks direction
Summary
City planning staff proposed considering the elimination of minimum parking requirements for commercial uses citywide. Commissioners discussed potential effects on development, on-street spillover parking and whether maximums or exemptions for mixed-use should be considered; no formal vote was taken.
City planning staff presented a proposal to the Wauwatosa Plan Commission to consider eliminating minimum parking requirements for all commercial land uses and sought the commissions feedback on the policy direction. Staff described the change as a broader strategy to support development, reduce underutilized surface lots, and allow land to be used for housing, commercial activity and public open space.
"City staff is now considering a broader strategy, which is the complete elimination of minimum parking requirements for all commercial uses," Mr. Pinon said. He cited examples of other municipalities that have taken similar steps, saying the City of La Crosse and the City of West Dallas have implemented comparable policies and reported favorable results.
Commissioners and alder members discussed likely effects and raised concerns. Alder First expressed concern about possible pressure to allow overnight parking if commercial lots are removed, noting the possibility of shifted expectations for long-term parking: "Where it could go is to lead to an expectation that we do have city overnight parking because that would be a way you could maximize development on a property." Several commissioners noted that many older commercial buildings on North Avenue already do not meet current minimum parking ratios and that property owners and developers typically provide parking to meet their own market needs.
Other commissioners asked staff to collect additional information from peer cities on how long their policies have been in place, whether complaints emerged and whether parking lots had been redeveloped. Commissioners raised the option of using parking maximums (caps) instead of minimums and noted mixed-use properties with residential units above commercial space would still require parking for the residential component.
Staff asked commissioners for input and said it would return with more detailed analysis and examples if requested. No formal motion or policy change was made at the meeting; staff sought direction and public input for drafting an ordinance amendment.
