Parking Study

Background

Prior to 2021, the City’s parking minimums were last updated almost a decade ago and were out of date with land use best practices, modern market demand for parking, and policies in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

Under the former parking code, parking minimums were calculated to exceed demand so there was always empty parking spaces. Developers, property owners and tenants absorbed the high cost of these extra parking spaces. These parking minimums also assumed that cars are the only way to get from Point A to Point B, with little consideration of other nearby available transportation modes or neighborhood density. The requirements provided little flexibility for property owners to use these extra parking spaces for other uses, such as patio or outdoor shopping space, without City intervention.

Today, about 36% of Saint Paul’s land is dedicated to moving and storing automobiles. Reducing or eliminating parking requirements benefits Saint Paul by:

• increasing housing affordability and construction costs,
• giving new flexibility to small business owners who want to use their off-street parking for other uses,
• supporting economic growth, and 
• reducing carbon emissions and making walking, biking and transit more appealing.

Recommendations

In 2021, Planning staff proposed two options for recommendation by the Planning Commission.

• Option 1: REDUCE
  • The reduce option would provide flexibility for developers and small business owners by:
    • removing parking minimums for:
      • the first 3000 sq. ft. of most commercial development,
      • affordable housing units at or less than 60% Area Median Income (AMI)
      • buildings built before 1955, and
      • properties near light rail, streetcar or bus rapid transit.
    • giving developers and small businesses a list of voluntary actions to remove the minimum requirement, if they choose. Some voluntary actions would include:
      • providing transit passes to employees,
      • building protected bike parking, and
      • investing in traffic street calming.
• Option 2: Full Elimination:
  • The eliminate option would reduce administrative burden for small businesses and developers by eliminating all parking minimums.
  • Properties with more than 25 residential units or 20,000 square feet gross floor area would be required to invest in actions that encourage additional means of transportation besides cars.

Both options would:

• update the City’s travel demand management (TDM) ordinance to:
  • create a TDM Program Standards Guide,
  • eliminate the traffic modeling requirement, and;
  • incentivize developers to provide transportation alternatives, such as transit and carpooling.
• change off-street surface parking maximums
• separate bicycle parking from car parking requirements
• create minimum bike parking requirements
• update shared parking, alley access, and other parking lot design standards, and
• allow businesses to use their off-street parking for short-term event parking.

Timeline

On August 18, 2021, the City Council adopted Ordinance 21-27, which eliminated minimum parking regulations in the City of Saint Paul. The ordinance became effective on October 1, 2021. 

Questions can be sent to Tony Johnson, Senior City Planner at ParkingStudy@stpaul.gov.

Parking Study (March 19, 2021) Parking Study Amendment Guide Presentation Slides