According to DLCD, excess parking increases housing and business costs. It makes creating new housing and business properties more expensive and difficult. As a result, minimum parking mandates bring hidden costs to those who use cars and often require those who don't use cars to pay those hidden costs for other people's parking, as well. Read more about Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) (PDF).
Households without cars tend to be the lowest-income households. In fact, about one in six renter households in Oregon is without a car. Past parking requirements have been one-size-fits-all, often creating parking lots that are under-used most of the day, week, month, or even year. These lots take up a great deal of space that might be better used for other things.
Because parking lots are designed for car movement, they are often difficult and dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists to move through to get to homes and businesses within walking, riding, or rolling distance. This can end up pressuring communities to be dependent on cars to get where they need to go when other transportation options (walking, biking, public transportation, etc.) might work for them instead. As a result, households with lower incomes often spend more than they can afford on the transportation costs that come with car ownership and car dependency.
Excess parking also leads to increased air, water, and climate pollution. It can detract from the general character of the community, as well. The new rules are designed to encourage more efficient uses of land and make new developments more accessible to people who can or must get around in more ways than just by car.
More changes are expected to come as additional CFEC rules are phased in. This page will be updated periodically to keep the public informed. Read more about DLCD's Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities Rules, and the timeline that cities are being given to implement them - CFEC Implementation Guide (PDF).