The Los Angeles City Council is considering eliminating mandatory parking space requirements for new housing and commercial developments, a move aimed at cutting construction costs and increasing affordable housing supply.
Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield and Nithya Raman introduced a motion on June 11 calling on city departments to evaluate the feasibility and impact of removing parking mandates citywide according to LAist. The proposal builds on AB 2097, a 2022 California law that already exempts projects within half a mile of major transit stops.
“We must find ways to reduce the cost of constructing new housing,” the motion states. “Eliminating parking requirements is one way to do so.”
A 2020 UC Berkeley study found parking structures can add up to $38,000 per apartment in construction costs, and including parking can increase rents by about $200 per month.
“We have a critical choice to make,” said Azeen Khanmalek, executive director of Abundant Housing L.A. “Are we going to prioritize housing for cars? Or are we going to prioritize housing for people?”
Although many developers may still offer parking to meet market demand, removing the requirement would give builders more flexibility and renters more options, according to California YIMBY’s M. Nolan Gray.
“When we mandate off-street parking, we take away the option to live car-light or car-free,” Gray said.
The proposal must go through the City Council’s Planning Committee before any vote. If advanced, the Department of City Planning and Department of Building and Safety will be tasked with producing a detailed report on the policy’s costs and benefits.
