Good luck trying to park in Bishop Arts, where narrow streets are usually jammed with cars that have been there for hours. The valuable commodity that is on-street parking in Dallas may improve with better regulations under a new curb management policy that prescribes neighborhood-specific recommendations. The City Council should approve the revised policy on Wednesday.
City staff estimates that more than 85% of on-street parking space on multiple contiguous blocks is occupied during the day. Vehicles are often parked improperly in the travel lanes or near intersections, which can make it harder for buses and emergency vehicles to pass.
The revised curb management policy would reorganize the system so that drivers who want to park for longer amounts of time will be incentivized to park in garages or on dedicated lots.
Currently, hourly parking meter rates in Dallas range from 5 cents to $1.50 an hour. The plan proposes a minimum price of $1 an hour across the board, in keeping with what peer cities charge. In some neighborhoods, there will be dynamic pricing to help manage demand for on-street parking. This could encourage regular turnover of parking spots and allow small businesses like cafes to serve more customers.
A potential code amendment to allow for the creation of parking benefit districts is a promising part of the plan. If approved, entertainment districts or commercial areas that get a lot of visitors could opt to keep 60% of their parking revenue in the neighborhood. This money could be spent on public safety, sidewalk widening and powerwashing, planting trees or repairing street lights. The revenue can also be used to fund streetcar operations, bike infrastructure or signage. The remaining 40% of the parking revenue would go to the city’s general fund.
In order to create a parking benefit district, the area must be within the boundaries of an existing metered parking area and all the business and neighborhood groups within the proposed boundaries must be on board. Then the city’s department of transportation can initiate a process to get City Council approval.
Parking benefit districts that contribute to neighborhood upkeep are an attempt by the city to address business owners’ concerns about how pricier parking will impact them.
The price increase to a minimum $1 an hour in metered parking areas could take effect as early as October if the plan is approved by the City Council. In Deep Ellum, the price increase will take effect in May 2026, once city staff and business owners have been able to create more off-street parking capacity.
There’s a fine line between parking reform that encourages more business and foot traffic and policy that may have the opposite effect because of a lack of affordable parking infrastructure both on and off the street. Calibrating the supply and pricing of on-street parking, especially in some of Dallas’ busiest neighborhoods, is vital for the city to flourish.
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