SPOKANE, Wash. – Businesses attempting to get permits in Spokane will no longer have to build parking to accompany their buildings. The move makes Spokane the first major city in Washington to permanently remove mandatory parking minimums, a move councilmembers hope will spur new development.
“A lot of (parking lots are) not being used,” Councilmember and Co-Sponsor Zack Zappone said. “We all travel around town and see giant parking lots that are half-empty, and even on the busiest day of the year they’re still not full.”
With two council members absent, the vote passed 4-to-1, with Councilmember Michael Cathcart dissenting.
“It’s not a bad policy to allow businesses and developers to kinda understand their customer base, and realize what sort of parking they need to provide,” Cathcart said. “The problem is if they undershoot, don’t get it right, we are not really set up right now to have the parking …