Dallas council adopts pilot construction‑parking rules for Uptown to limit worker parking on neighborhood streets

The Dallas City Council on Jan. 14 approved an ordinance aimed at limiting construction worker parking on narrow Uptown streets by requiring large projects in PD‑193 (Uptown) to submit off‑street parking plans and for the city to install or use meters to regulate on‑street parking.

Sponsor Councilmember Ridley framed the ordinance as a targeted pilot for PD‑193, where dense development and narrow lanes create both congestion and emergency‑vehicle access problems. Ridley said developers should be required to show how workers and subcontractors will park off the street or on site during construction of projects larger than 200,000 square feet, and he asked staff to return to the Economic Development Committee with a report on implementation and effectiveness in two years.

Uptown Dallas Inc. (UDI) executive director Callum Butts, testifying virtually after the council suspended the registration rule to allow his appearance, told the council the measure is “a good start” and urged implementation to reduce parking conflicts that have affected residents and businesses.

Several council members supported the pilot but urged caution about expanding it citywide without additional study; others suggested a vehicle‑density threshold might be used to expand the approach beyond PD‑193 where similar problems occur. The ordinance passed with a requirement that staff report back to the Economic Development Committee in two years.

Next steps: Staff will implement the PD‑193 pilot, require off‑street parking plans for large projects in the PD and provide a two‑year evaluation to the Economic Development Committee.