Tulsa’s Transportation Advisory Board wants to change how the city approaches parking.
The board wants to eliminate minimum off-street parking requirements for businesses from the zoning code. Chairman Stephen Lassiter said that wouldn’t immediately change how much parking is available for drivers.
"But over time, developers, property owners will be able to say, 'You know what? This parking lot is way too big. I could build another building on this thing and lease it out and make some more money,'" Lassiter said. "So over time, you're going to get a better use of land."
The idea has some traction within the city planning department.
"I, for one, am fairly comfortable with dropping the minimums, eliminating the minimums in places near downtown where they really don't have options for parking," said City Planner Theron Warlick.
It's not a common step. far, Buffalo, N.Y., is the only U.S. city that’s done away with minimum parking requirements.
"They're proposing it as an economic development incentive, and it speaks to what [the board was] suggesting: Give people a chance to create more leasable space, more rentable space, more sales square footage, and don't require as much for off-street parking," Warlick said.
A new version of the zoning code is due out this month. While it will have the same parking requirements, the city could begin a series of public meetings for input on changing them.