Ah, Valentine’s Day. Some people spend it gazing into each other’s eyes, some people spend it enjoying a nice dinner… We spent it rallying with a community “Love-In” at Cerebral Brewing to share some love for spaces that prioritize people over cars. Specifically, we wanted to demonstrate support for modernizing Denver’s parking policies by removing parking minimum mandates from the zoning code city-wide, which City Council will vote on later this year. Cerebral’s owner spoke about his frustration at having to restore parking spaces that they’d converted into more patio space since during the pandemic. Denver already has too much parking; developers should be able to right-size parking for new projects instead of wasting money building parking some tenants will never use.
By state law, cities now have to eliminate parking minimums for some developments near transit lines, but Denver is considering expanding it city-wide. We’re in full support and want City Council to consider other common-sense reforms, too, like setting parking maximums, establishing parking benefits districts, unbundling parking from housing, and requiring RTD EcoPasses for tenants of new developments.
If you support these changes, let your City Council representative know. Sorry we’re not able to give you a pink boa or bobbling-heart headband, but you know we still love you.
View more photos and videos from the Love In, learn more about parking reform, and check out the letter [PDF] our coalition sent to the Mayor and City Council.