South Bend City Council votes to end parking space minimum for businesses

Businesses and developments are no longer required to build a minimum number of parking spots in South Bend.

The city council voted to get rid of previous regulations, saying fewer restrictions could save money for small businesses and make it easier to attract new developments to the area.

Developers still can and will build parking in South Bend, but a city planner says the new regulations won’t force businesses or apartments complexes to build more than what they need.

Parking minimums -- it’s a small line of city zoning ordinance that one of South Bend’s principal planners says tends to over-estimate how many spots are actually needed, leaving a lot of empty space.

"Even on some of the busiest days of the year, they never fill all the way up," said Michael Divita.

Downtown is one of the areas that’s already gotten rid of parking requirements. Now, the city council voted to nix those minimums citywide.

"I think, overall, it will help impact the small businesses and neighborhoods and homeowners," said Sharon McBride.

Council member Sharon McBride says the new rules can help small business avoid spending money on parking spots they don’t need.

In the past, businesses would have to seek a variance if they wanted to get around the parking rules.

"There’s time and money and uncertainty in the public process in that," said Divita.

Or buy more land.

"Those limits were really hindering businesses financially. If they didn’t need all the spots, they had to pay for that," said McBride.

"The more likely outcome would be they were just abandon the project," said Divita.

Divita says while the parking rules don’t change much for existing businesses, they help promote bringing new ones to the area. It can also lower the rent for apartments like college campus housing, where many of the people who live there don’t have cars.

At a city budget level, empty parking spots don’t do much in terms of brining in tax money. But eliminating them can also boost revenue for the city with the businesses that grow in their place.

South Bend is the largest city in the Midwest to make this change. Some urban development scholars say it has the potential to make cities much more vibrant.

The ordinance change passed 8-1 and council member Lori Hammond was the only one who voted against it. She said she didn't see the rationale for doing this in 100% of the city and that it's not something she wants to see in heavily residential areas.