Parking Reform: Turning Underused Lots Into Community Opportunities
- Eden Wenberg
- Jan 26
- 3 min read
An overview of how recent zoning and policy changes in cities like Denver and Cambridge are enabling shared parking, reducing waste, and creating new opportunities for communities and property owners
Across the country, cities are rethinking their relationship with parking. For decades, rigid zoning laws forced property owners to build massive amounts of parking, regardless of whether it was actually needed. The result? Seas of empty asphalt that drive up housing costs and separate communities.
But a shift is happening. Cities are moving away from requiring parking and toward optimizing the parking that already exists. For business owners and organizations with parking assets, this shift represents a major opportunity to turn dormant pavement into a community benefit, and a new revenue stream.
Denver’s Bold Move: Stopping the Sprawl
One of the most headline-grabbing examples of this reform recently came from Denver, which moved to abolish parking minimums citywide.
Previously, if a developer wanted to build a new apartment complex or a small business wanted to open a shop, the city required them to build a specific number of parking spaces, often far more than necessary. This mandate drove up the cost of construction (a single structured space can cost $50,000 to build) and resulted in vast amounts of wasted space.
By eliminating these mandates, Denver is letting the market decide. The goal is simple: prioritize people over pavement, lower the cost of housing, and stop forcing businesses to pour money into parking spots that sit empty.
Cambridge’s "Flexible Parking Corridors": A Blueprint for the Future
While Denver is stopping the creation of forced parking, Cambridge, Massachusetts is leading the way in utilizing what is already there. This is where the real immediate opportunity lies for property owners.
Cambridge recently introduced "Flexible Parking Corridors"—a zoning innovation designed to support local businesses while the city expands its bike and bus networks.
In the past, if a private business (like a law office or a bank) wanted to let the general public pay to park in their lot during the evenings or weekends, they often faced a wall of red tape. They needed complex special permits or detailed "Transportation Demand Management" plans just to share their empty spaces.
The new "Flexible Parking" rules change the game:
As-of-Right Sharing: Property owners along designated corridors can now use their existing off-street parking as "Commercial Parking" (public paid parking) or "Shared Parking" much more easily.
Removing Barriers: For smaller lots (under 20 spaces), the city has removed the requirement for complex management plans, making it simple for small business owners to enter the market.
Temporary Use: Even vacant lots in these corridors can now be temporarily activated as parking assets, preventing them from becoming blight while waiting for development.
What This Means for You: From Asset to Income
These reforms in Cambridge are a perfect example of a "win-win." The city gets to remove on-street parking to make room for safer bike lanes and bus routes without hurting drivers, because drivers can now park in private off-street lots that were previously off-limits.
For the property owner, this means your private parking lot—which might sit empty from 5:00 PM to 9:00 AM—is no longer just a cost center. It is a liquid asset.
Whether you are a dentist with an empty lot on evenings and weekends, or a church with space available on weekdays, these reforms are removing the legal hurdles that stopped you from monetizing that space.
How Park Thrive Helps You Navigate the Change
At Park Thrive, our mission has always been to make better use of existing parking in communities. We believe the most sustainable parking spot is the one that has already been built.
We specialize in helping businesses and organizations take advantage of these exact kinds of reforms. If you are in a city like Cambridge that is opening up flexibility, or a city like Denver that is changing the rules, we provide the tools you need to act on it.
Signage & Enforcement: We provide clear, professional signage that tells drivers exactly when and how they can park in your newly "flexible" lot.
Turnkey Technology: Our software allows you to set custom schedules—for example, reserving the lot for your staff during the day and opening it for paid public parking at night.
Community Alignment: We help you act as a good neighbor, providing much-needed inventory for the community while generating revenue that you control.
The regulatory walls are coming down. If you have pavement, you have potential.