Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Parking

Hartford Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide

Hartford, Connecticut, is getting rid of mandatory parking minimums citywide, the second major American city to do so in the past 12 months, following Buffalo.

The revised zoning code no longer requires builders to include car parking in new construction. The Hartford Planning & Zoning Commission voted for the changes unanimously last night, enacting them into law.

The Hartford legislation goes farther than Buffalo's in some ways, with fewer loopholes. (In Buffalo, the City Council can still decide to require parking through a review process for projects larger than 5,000 square feet.) But because parking mandates for car dealerships are Connecticut state law, those minimums remain in the Hartford code. Other special uses, like stadiums, will be subject to case-by-case review.

Sara Bronin, chair of Hartford's Planning and Zoning Committee. Photo: UConn
Sara Bronin, chair of the Hartford Planning & Zoning Commission. Photo: UConn
false

Hartford has been building up to this point for a while. The city lifted parking minimums for its downtown about two years ago, points out Planning & Zoning Commission Chair Sara Bronin. That zoning change also eliminated parking mandates for retail and services (like restaurants and gas stations) citywide.

Without the burden of parking mandates, it was easier for developers to rehab downtown buildings, said Bronin. "There have been some buildings that have been renovated downtown in a much faster and more efficient way by not having to provide as much parking," she told Streetsblog. "Because of that we felt that it was time to bring that same benefit to developments citywide."

Like other Connecticut cities, Hartford is plagued by fiscal problems, and the loss of productive land to parking spaces exacerbates those issues, constraining the city's tax base. In Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, downtown is pocked with blocks of free parking for state employees.

UConn professor Norm Garrick (star of this Streetfilm on parking craters) has led multiple studies investigating the hidden costs imposed by excessive parking on cities. Research his team conducted in 2014 found that downtown parking consumed so much land it amounted to $50 million a year in foregone tax revenue.

Together, Garrick and Bronin have been leading a conversation about parking reform in Hartford.

Support for citywide elimination of parking minimums was nearly universal, said Bronin. The reforms are expected to reduce housing costs, cut traffic, and reduce harmful runoff. About 42 percent of Hartford is impermeable surfaces, says Bronin, which contributes to water pollution and the urban heat island effect.

"For me, the environmental implications were really important," she said. "We also believe that in deemphasizing parking we will make our neighborhoods more livable."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

New Bill Would Block Apps From Deactivating Workers Without Cause

A Brooklyn Council member wants delivery app companies to be more human and less robot.

July 18, 2025

Friday Video: Is Berlin a Great Biking City?

Have recent moves by anti-bike, pro-car legislators ruined the experience in the capital of a unified Germany? Sort of!

July 18, 2025

Eyes on the Street: Meeker Avenue Bike Lane Is a Failure

The Department of Transportation still hasn't finished a critical bike lane under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway that the agency has been stalling for over four years even after identifying the strip's danger and lack of proper signals.

July 18, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Cuomo’s Road Rage Edition

Why does Andrew Cuomo drive so recklessly? Plus other news.

July 18, 2025

Fixing Third Ave. Was Once ‘Top of List’ For Eric Adams — But as Mayor He Backed Off

Mayor Adams has delayed a redesign of Brooklyn's Third Avenue despite once saying safety fixes there should be "at the top of our list."

July 17, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Jerry Nadler Edition

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler faced off with Sean Duffy on Capitol Hill. Plus more news.

July 17, 2025
See all posts