Developers and businesses in Caddo Parish could gain greater flexibility in determining how much parking their projects require under a proposed overhaul of the parish’s development regulations.
The Caddo Parish Commission formally introduced Ordinance 6642 Thursday, a measure that would eliminate minimum off-street vehicle parking requirements from the parish’s Unified Development Code.
The ordinance was introduced by title during the Commission’s Sept. 17 meeting without discussion or a vote on final passage. It must still move through the parish ordinance process before the changes can take effect.
Under the proposal, businesses and developers would no longer have to provide a prescribed minimum number of parking spaces based on the type or size of a development. Instead, property owners and developers would have greater flexibility to determine the amount of parking appropriate for individual projects.
The proposal does not prohibit businesses from providing parking and does not establish parking maximums. Instead, it removes the government-mandated minimum requirements.
Planning documents supporting the proposal point to the amount of developable land consumed by required parking and the costs associated with constructing parking areas. Removing the minimum requirements would allow parking decisions to be based more heavily on individual projects, business models and market demand.
The change requires amendments to numerous provisions throughout the Caddo Parish Unified Development Code that currently reference or depend upon minimum parking requirements.
The Caddo Parish Planning and Zoning Commission previously gave the proposed changes a favorable recommendation.
The Parish Commission advanced introduction of Ordinance 6642 during its Sept. 14 work session and formally introduced it by title Thursday.
If ultimately adopted, the change could have implications for commercial and residential development throughout the parish, particularly for projects where existing parking requirements consume land that could otherwise be used for buildings, landscaping or other development.
A retailer, restaurant, office development or other business would still be free to construct as much parking as it determines its customers and employees need. The fundamental change would be who makes that determination: rather than meeting a parish-prescribed minimum, developers and property owners would determine parking needs for their individual projects.