Houston’s parking laws require plenty of spots, but they also make the city harder to navigate

F or Houston being one of the most car-centric metro areas in the whole country, it sure is a pain trying to find parking anywhere.

That’s what’s so confusing about this city; we’re notorious for having way too much parking (remember that photo of downtown Houston in the ’70s? Downtown is still 26% parking), yet when you actually need space to store your car for a few hours, it seems impossible to find.

So, what’s behind Houston’s wonky parking? Today, we’re talking about parking minimums, and how — for better or for worse — these rules shape our cityscape.

What are parking minimums, and how do they work in Houston?

Parking minimums are regulations that require developers to provide a set number of off-street parking spaces based on the type of building. Apartments, for instance, might be required to include one or more spaces per unit, restaurants must offer parking based on square footage and retail spaces have their own ratios…

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