Parking Reform
What are parking mandates?
For decades, cities and counties across the country have required developers to build a fixed number of parking spaces for homes, businesses, and community buildings - regardless of whether those spaces are actually needed. These parking mandates require more parking than people use, creating acres of empty asphalt in our communities.
Parking mandates may sound technical, but their impact is huge. These inflexible rules drive up the cost of housing, prevent local business from opening, make our summers hotter, and contribute to sprawling development.
What do we do about it?
We made these rules, so we can repeal them! Communities across Virginia have begun repealing their outdated parking mandates and restoring flexibility to small businesses and property owners to determine how many parking spots they need.
As of December 2025, Charlottesville, Newport News, Onancock, Richmond (city), and Roanoke repealed have repealed their local parking mandates, allowing affordable homes to be built and neighborhood restaurants to open.
Preserve rural communities
Parking mandates drive suburban sprawl, destroying farmland and natural areas.
Repealing parking mandates can lower rents and mortgages by $200-500 per month.
Support local businesses
Parking flexibility helps local businesses open and stay open.