{"id":1041599,"date":"2026-09-03T22:00:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T22:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1041599\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T22:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T22:00:37","slug":"illinois-already-killed-parking-mandates-chicago-should-finish-the-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1041599\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois already killed parking mandates. Chicago should finish the job."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/boulevardbikeshop.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Boulevard-Bikes.png\" alt=\"This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Boulevard-Bikes.png\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.2182922295203866;width:518px;height:auto\"\/><\/a>This post is sponsored by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/boulevardbikeshop.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Boulevard Bikes.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This piece also runs on the website\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/citythatworks.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">A City That Works<\/a>, a newsletter about public policy in the Chicago region.\u00a0Alex Montero is the chairperson of\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/711b036b-7a58-475a-836a-0d12ab339b9a?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">Strong Towns Chicago<\/a>, an all volunteer advocacy group focused on housing, street safety, and transit. As a guest op-ed, this article does not necessarily reflect Streetsblog Chicago staffers\u2019 perspectives on this issue.\u00a0This ACTW article was edited for publication on Streetsblog Chicago by John Greenfield.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When state legislators passed the\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/e13f6d9d-5008-4dc2-9080-cc70450bb062?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">People Over Parking Act<\/a> last fall, they intended to reduce the number of hoops that local builders, small businesses, and City officials need to jump through to build new housing or set up shop. Unfortunately, Chicago is currently set to implement the new state law into its zoning code in the most cumbersome way possible. There is a better way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">POPA went into effect on June 1, 2026, prohibiting Illinois municipalities from imposing or enforcing minimum parking requirements within a half mile of rail stations and transit centers and within an eighth of a mile of most fixed transit routes. In Chicago, that covers virtually all the areas where people live and do business:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>84 percent of the land area within the city\u2019s borders<\/li>\n<li>96 percent of the city\u2019s population based on the most recent census tract data<\/li>\n<li>Areas not covered by People Over Parking are nearly all unpopulated, including airport land, cemeteries, lakes, and rail yards<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a class=\"image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/2062944b-cd2f-4d91-976f-60da483dbb41?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/25e2ba6f-85e8-404d-a0bd-eebd8b0c46a0_1545.jpeg\" alt=\"\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7544602239012619;width:618px;height:auto\"\/><\/a>Map by Streetsblog Chicago cofounder Steven Vance from his real estate data website <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/chicagocityscame.com\">Chicago Cityscape.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">POPA applies to residential and commercial uses, and it covers both new buildings (whether by right or Planned Developments) and changes to existing buildings. This law is the culmination of years of local and statewide reform efforts and a\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/2f2904f5-3687-491a-8e20-f6e316bea1d0?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">growing recognition<\/a>\u00a0among legislators and planners that minimum parking mandates\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/95da6a01-6c30-4e49-a7c3-1c935d26f218?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">increase the cost of housing<\/a>\u00a0(by <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/40da82d4-7b39-4b04-99d0-62d27031a6c4?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">up to $37K per parking spot<\/a> in Chicago),\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/b4fa025e-72cb-4fa5-8a95-7abdcf23c784?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">hurt local small businesses<\/a>, and\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/d934ec23-feef-4a9a-b7de-5c1cf06b8179?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">are based on arbitrary standards<\/a>\u00a0that fail to predict real demand. Eliminating parking mandates is the most impactful and straightforward \u201ccut the tape\u201d reform that cities can implement, and\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/65f35a24-ccf8-4c84-bb48-da39117a7d53?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">many have<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But developers and city departments don\u2019t dig through state statutes every time they propose a project or issue a permit or license. Instead, the city zoning code needs to be updated to reflect changes in state law. The simple way to do this for POPA would be to just update the zoning code to eliminate any reference to parking requirements, shortening the code and getting rid of the residual requirement on the last bits of city land.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, the Mayor\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/5a460d82-ee7c-45fa-a1b9-f30e17c5ced5?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">proposed an ordinance<\/a>\u00a0in June that would use an overlay district to supersede the zoning code parking requirements anywhere the People Over Parking Act applies. In effect, it\u2019s a special exception that Chicago\u2019s Department of Planning and Development would need to maintain and other City departments would need to decipher for every building permit application and business license application that they receive. This approach would be a serious mistake for three important reasons.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It adds another layer of bureaucratic complexity to be administered by city departments that are already\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/41722e9c-d599-4b12-ac18-9499c0ab4658?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">short-staffed<\/a>\u00a0and taking\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/55b7f764-3eb3-4a12-afcf-4bb6f6f6ff30?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">months to process<\/a>\u00a0most permits. Given\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/chi.streetsblog.org\/2025\/09\/17\/the-northern-illinois-transit-authority-is-a-good-idea\">Northern Illinois Transit Authority\u2019s<\/a> governance reforms and funding expansion, POPA coverage will continue to grow with new transit stops and routes. To comply with state law, the overlay will need to be updated every time a transit route is added or modified.<\/li>\n<li>It creates a complex set of eligibility rules that small local builders without teams of zoning attorneys on standby cannot easily understand or untangle. At a time when the City is desperate for middle housing and modest infill on vacant neighborhood lots, this uncertainty will lead some small operators and nonprofit developers to mistakenly pass up projects that pencil without parking requirements.<\/li>\n<li>It preserves parking requirements in a trivially small portion of the city, mostly made up of industrial land, waterways, and parkland devoid of housing or businesses. In effect, the City is making its zoning code more difficult to enforce and taking on more legal liability to retain the right to require parking for a hotdog stand on runway 28C at O\u2019Hare or a two-flat at the bottom of Lake Calumet. This is madness.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"510\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screen-Shot-2026-09-03-at-4.25.01-PM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-212914\"  \/>Should this surprisingly good hotdog establishment inside O\u2019Hare\u2019s Terminal 1, photographed in November 2018 (we can\u2019t guarantee it\u2019s still there), let alone a theoretical wiener vendor literally located on a runway, be required to provide car parking spots? Photos: John Greenfield  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">City Council should instead pass a clean repeal of minimum parking requirements from the City zoning code. This makes it simpler to understand the zoning code, minimizes the City\u2019s liability risk, strikes pages of obsolete language, and allows City departments to focus their enforcement efforts on more important zoning matters. It also sends a clear message to builders, small businesses, and housing organizations that Chicago is serious about\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/389acff8-ee99-47bb-a730-aface94c41cf?j=eyJ1IjoiZzN0d2YifQ.QSKI9qy0O_63A8HtxXXvSfI5gTuzHwvgjhEBEmac-to\">Cut the Tape<\/a>, one of the few things that Mayor Johnson and the entire City Council seem to agree on these days.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fortunately, perhaps sensing the winds of change at the state level, City staff did their homework and drafted a clean repeal in 2024. This language needs to be lightly updated and checked by the city\u2019s Legislative Reference Bureau to catch any references to parking requirements in more recent zoning code changes, but it is basically ready to go and should be the basis of the city\u2019s POPA compliance ordinance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is an easy win for Chicago. City Council should pass a full repeal of minimum parking mandates.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chi.streetsblog.org\/about\/donate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/donate.png\" alt=\"donate button\" style=\"width:179px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you appreciate Streetsblog Chicago\u2019s livable streets reporting and advocacy,\u00a0please consider\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/chi.streetsblog.org\/about\/donate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">making a tax-deductible donation<\/a>\u00a0to support our work. Thank you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This post is sponsored by\u00a0Boulevard Bikes. This piece also runs on the website\u00a0A City That Works, a newsletter&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1041600,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[417028,417029,960,5386,1818,417030,417031,31668],"class_list":["post-1041599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-a-city-that-works","tag-alex-montero","tag-chicago","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-parking-mandates","tag-people-over-parking-act","tag-promoted"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117209364630446334","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1041599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1041599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1041599\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1041600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1041599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1041599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1041599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}