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Provo council pauses plan to reduce parking near BYU after hours of public comment
Summary
After several hours of public testimony—much from BYU students and neighborhood residents—Provo City Council voted to continue consideration of a proposal to reduce minimum parking requirements near BYU and UVX/BRT stations so staff and council can study off-site storage, geographic boundaries and neighborhood impacts.
Provo City Council on June 23 paused a proposed ordinance that would lower minimum parking requirements for new development close to Brigham Young University and transit stations, following an extended public-comment period in which students, longtime residents and developers made sharply different arguments.
Planning manager Aaron Ardmore presented the three-part proposal, which would allow reduced parking ratios for development within an eighth- to a quarter-mile of BYU and within a quarter-mile of UVX/BRT stations in exchange for design criteria intended to support walkability and transit. Ardmore said the change was intended to encourage transit‑oriented development and make student housing projects financially feasible in areas targeted for increased housing density.
The proposal drew a deluge of public speakers. Student Reagan Summerl told the council, “The number one complaint I hear from BYU students is about parking—there’s not enough of it. This will not solve that; it will push cars into neighborhoods,” arguing the change would increase on‑street congestion. Several students and neighborhood leaders stressed safety and winter weather as reasons cars remain necessary for many residents.
Developers and some council members countered that parking requirements can make projects financially unfeasible. Developer Jason Miller, who builds multifamily housing in the region, told the council that structured parking can cost $35,000–$40,000 per stall and that reductions are often necessary to make projects “pencil out” for financing and construction. Walker Wood, representing a Park Plaza ownership group, said targeted reductions could unlock site‑specific redevelopment opportunities across from campus while offering shared mobility and car‑storage options.
Council members and staff flagged several unresolved issues: how to define geographic boundaries (which stops and how far from BYU), whether off‑site parking or leases could be used for car storage, enforcement of restrictions on residents who nevertheless keep cars, and the risk of pushing spillover parking into stable single‑family neighborhoods. Councilor Whitlock asked developers whether off‑site storage or lease clauses (preventing residents without a dedicated stall from bringing a car) had worked elsewhere; developers said those approaches have been used on a project‑by‑project basis but enforcement is challenging.
After extensive debate, Councilor Christensen moved to continue the ordinance for further study; the motion passed unanimously. The council directed staff to return with more targeted maps, analysis of off‑site storage and shuttle options, and pilot-area recommendations so a narrower, testable approach can be evaluated before any permanent change.
The item will return to the council after additional study; no ordinance changes were adopted tonight.
