Seven of the 11 new buildings (on Division Street) won’t have on-site parking—thanks to a city zoning rule that exempts developers from having to provide it. That’s 224 new rental units in 13 blocks without a single new parking space.
The Portland City Council more than a decade ago created this exemption—a huge financial benefit to developers—to increase density and discourage people from owning and driving cars.
If there’s a single fragment in the zoning code that encapsulates the ambition of city planners and the ethos of Portland, this may be it.
But the policy has its costs, and nearby residents such as Gold-Markel are paying for it. He and his neighbors have become increasingly loud in their opposition to these new apartments—including what one local calls “a dormitory without a college.”
Many condo units in Yaletown proper (the heritage warehouses) do not have parking – because of physical contraints (not politics). Residents tend to make do – and can rent spaces in the City parkade next to the Canada Line station (makes for a bit of a hassle hauling groceries though).