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Longmont council eliminates residential parking minimums, citing housing cost and climate goals
Summary
Council adopted ordinance 2024‑39 to remove off‑street residential parking minimums. Supporters said eliminating minimums reduces housing costs and car dependency; opponents warned of parking shortages and market effects. Council adopted the change unanimously.
Longmont City Council on May 28 voted to repeal residential off‑street parking minimums in ordinance 2024‑39, a move supporters said will lower housing costs and support climate goals while opponents warned it could worsen parking shortages.
During the public hearing, Shaquille D. urged the council to approve the change to reduce reliance on single‑occupancy vehicles and to align new developments with the city's Vision Zero and climate goals, noting that "a parking space takes up about 300 square feet" and that converting surface parking to housing increases supply. Morgan Tuxler told the council she supported the staff proposal, describing it as a measure that will expand housing options and help the city comply with prospective state law changes.
Gary Hodes spoke against wholesale removal of parking minimums, saying developers have learned that insufficient parking can make projects less usable and that the market may penalize products without adequate parking. Strider Benston and other commenters emphasized broader transit and grid planning as part of a long‑term solution.
Councilmember Yarro moved adoption of ordinance 2024‑39 after closing the public hearing; the council approved the ordinance unanimously with Councilmembers McCoy and Martin absent.
City staff and multiple commenters said the parking change is intended to reduce the cost of building housing, unlock site capacity for homes rather than parking stalls, and align Longmont's code with contemporary parking reform approaches. The city packet includes staff analysis and references to parking reform research cited by commenters.
The ordinance passed at the May 28 council meeting; staff said it will change off‑street parking requirements in the municipal code and that implementation steps and code updates will follow.
