Good News: We Won on Parking reform

As of January 1, 2027, small businesses like The Yard in Brevard, NC will be able to expand their footprint. That means room for more produce in their market, more artist studio space, or more seating for diners and guests at community gatherings. Similarly, after January, affordable housing developers like Mountain Housing Opportunities will be able to build more homes on transit corridors where residents can bike or take the bus to get to where they need to go. These things are possible across the state now that House Bill 162 has passed, removing mandatory minimum parking requirements from the books in our cities and towns. 

Creating parking spaces is astonishingly expensive. A single space can cost anywhere from $17,000 – $35,000 to create, depending on the structure of the lot. That cost in many cases has prevented small businesses from opening in our downtowns and has prevented visions for affordable housing through things like Project Aspire from becoming a reality in Asheville. While many downtown commercial centers in North Carolina have gotten rid of their parking requirements years ago in order to promote more walkable, sustainable, and economically viable town centers, many ordinances remain, tying potential developers to parking requirements that exacerbate urban sprawl.

Now, thanks to years of education and advocacy efforts, the N.C. Legislature passed House Bill 162 eliminating minimum parking requirements nearly state-wide (with some exceptions for areas along the coast). This change means the number of parking spaces built with new housing can be determined by logical need. Developers will base parking quantity on the specific location of a project; access to transit, bike lanes, and walking paths; and the needs of future residents in a particular area. It also means that small businesses can renovate and move into old buildings without having to go through complicated and lengthy permitting processes to get exemptions from old parking rules. 

In short: Our communities have a clearer path to building the things we need and greater flexibility to use land for things like trees, rain gardens, or picnic tables.

Thank you!

We are so excited to celebrate this victory with our supporters and partners who fought tirelessly for this reform in recent years. To those of you who signed an action alert, attended one of our programs in Franklin, Sylva, Boone, or Waynesville, shared posts on social media, or spoke with any of your state senators – THANK YOU! It wouldn’t have happened without you. 

Man. It sure is nice to enjoy a win these days. Let’s savor it together, shall we? Here’s to healthier communities across North Carolina!