Paved Paradise

 Parking Reform is a movement to repeal the government regulations that force local businesses and builders to build parking regardless of whether it is needed.  

In 180 of Connecticut's 187 zoning authorities (some towns have more than one zoning authority), a local governing board has laid out a complex set of minimum off street parking requirements for every inch of land and every possible building use. These rules are unchanging and prevent flexibility the communities need to adapt and change over time - freezing our state in economic amber.

Under the current rules, if you want to occupy an existing store front in your town center for a new small retail store, the local town may require you purchase and demolish a neighboring building in order to provide a larger parking lot - even if there is available street parking, nearby underutilized parking you can share, or you have a low volume business idea.

Outside of town centers, vast fields of unused asphalt are built around "big box stores" harming the environment and contributing to flash flooding. We believe that the current system needs state reform to let families and small businesses decide for themselves rather than a one size fits all parking mandate.

Government Parking Mandates are arbitrary, they are not grounded in any research or true need. They differ greatly from town to town and don't acknowledge changing conditions over time. There is no true connection between the mandate for parking by use set by towns and the true underlying parking demand. The vast majority of our State's parking lots are underutilized today outside the small area near a retailer's door

What is the correct number of parking spaces per bowling lane? It turns out there is fervent disagreement across Connecticut municipalities

Third spaces are locations outside of the home and work where residents can gather, socialize and build community.  How do these mandates prevent third spaces from being opened? How do these mandates keep third spaces out of walkable places?

Each surface parking space costs a family or a small business $20,000+ in high density places to build while a parking garage or underground parking can cost upwards of $50,000 to build. By mandating high amounts of off-street parking in excess of the demand means that businesses pay high rent to cover these unused parking spaces and land cannot be developed to its highest and best use

Even in more rural parts of Connecticut, surface parking will cost between $5,000-10,000 per space. How can a hobbyist coffee shop compete with Starbucks if they need to carry $100k of parking costs?