House Bill 492 caps city zoning requirements at one parking space per unit — and bans parking requirements entirely for projects with smaller dwellings.
Mandating parking with new development comes with negative consequences including a reduction in housing, higher home costs and an increase in congestion, a planner told members of the Missoula City Council on Wednesday.
While the Missoula City Council has no say in the matter, on Monday night it took comment from several individuals opposed to a University of Montana plan to expand parking on campus.
The Missoula Parking Commission this month will consider the recommendations of a recent study that would change the way parking is managed downtown and increase fees for both permit and hourly parking.
Dave Stalling writes, "I do not understand why we have disabled parking spots and fines for those who illegally park in them if the regulations are ignored and not enforced. In the meantime, people such as my son Cory suffer."
Robbie Liben writes, "Missoula, like all US cities, has vast swaths of excess parking spaces. It is due to our wasteful and archaic zoning laws which for over 50 years have required arbitrary parking mandates within all private residential and commercial development and redevelopment projects."