New Oregon Land-Use Law Could Change Parking Landscape

A unanimous vote by the Oregon state land use commission has mandated that on January 1, minimum parking rules in the state’s eight largest metro areas will no longer apply in certain situations. In those instances, the affected jurisdictions can simply make off-street parking optional. The idea is to get people out of their cars via the “Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities” package.

In a recent article, the Sightline Institute wrote in the coming years, Oregonians may see changes in the commercial real estate landscape. For example, vacant buildings might be repurposed easier without parking space requirements. Businesses could also share underused parking lots adding money to the local economy and badly needed multi-housing projects could start construction faster without plowing through all the parking red tape.

Despite support from affordable housing, environment, and transportation organizations, there is plenty of opposition to the new parking mandates from homebuilders, realtors and various cities. Nonetheless, if the new rules survive legal challenges, it will be the first time since the 1950’s that property owners in Oregon can decide their own parking needs.