Parking minimums for new construction projects are up for debate in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, including a recent four-hour session on the topic by the city council. Elise Stolte, columnist for the Edmonton Journal newspaper, took up the topic this week with an impassioned piece about the need to control parking supply–especially in an area where it’s been more than plentiful.

“Edmonton has regulated an over-abundance of parking that is really expensive to provide.” Stolte writes. “For every new building, it requires developers to supply parking as if every day was Boxing Day at West Edmonton Mall.”  She quotes a parking study that found only 7.5 percent of parking lots in the city were ever 90 percent full, and argues that developers should be required to provide some parking to avoid an under-supply, but that having citizens pay to use it is likely the way to balance available parking for those who need it with building and maintaining an excessive amount for no reason. Now, where have we heard that before?

Read the article here and let us know on Forum–what advice would you give Edmonton?