County Council loosens parking requirements for developments near public transit

Legislation aims to increase housing supply near transit hubs

March 5, 2024 5:16 p.m.

The Montgomery County Council passed a bill Tuesday that will loosen parking requirements for new housing developments–provided they are located in close proximity to public transit.

The zoning text amendment will exempt developers from having to meet the baseline parking ordinances for residential housing in the county’s zoning ordinance if a proposed development is within a half mile of a Metro station or a Purple Line station, within one-fourth of a mile of an existing Bus Rapid Transit station or a Bus Rapid Transit station funded for construction. Those baseline ordinances are determined by an equation and chart in the zoning ordinance.

The Purple Line, currently under construction and expected to be completed by 2027, is 16.2-mile light rail line with 21 stations that will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton. 

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The legislation was developed and co-sponsored by Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large), President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) and Councilmember Kristin Mink (D-Dist. 5). The rest of the council signed on as co-sponsors.

The goal of the legislation is to encourage development of affordable housing near transit hubs and limit the number of cars on the road, according to its sponsors. The legislation does not take away existing parking infrastructure, but rather allows developers to build less parking at an apartment complex or similar building located near public transit stations. It will go into effect 20 days after the vote.

“This commonsense change eliminates outdated, one-size-fits-all policies and embraces current, market-based approaches to enable the development of more affordable housing in line with our environmental and new housing generation goals,” Friedson said in a news release about the legislation.

According to the Montgomery County Planning department, it costs between $70,000 and $100,000 to build a single underground parking space in urban areas of the county.

“The underlying regulations we are attempting to change here were originally adopted in the late ’70s and early ’80s. A lot has changed since then,” Glass said when introducing the legislation in January. “We have to prioritize people over cars.”

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