The Montrose Parking Study finds parking issues limited to specific areas and times that can be addressed through a variety of tools. That is the principal finding of the Montrose Parking Study, commissioned by the Montrose Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 27 and completed by Goodman Corporation. The study found an overall surplus of parking across most of the study area at most times of the day and week, with pressure concentrated in a limited number of locations during specific days and hours. The issue is the distribution of and access to existing parking, not the overall supply.
The study inventoried more than 33,500 on-street and off-street spaces, catalogued and field-verified existing parking restrictions, and modeled parking demand by day and time. A public survey conducted between October 2025 and January 2026 drew more than 2,000 responses: 1,271 survey responses, 83 percent from Montrose residents; 715 comments on an interactive map; and 38 responses from businesses. A Steering Committee of residents, business representatives, and other stakeholders participated throughout the process.
The study recommends a parking management toolkit matched to specific, observed problems rather than one area-wide solution. It documents the tools available under City of Houston procedures — parking restrictions, metered parking, a parking benefit district, and permit parking — with the benefits, challenges, and initiation process for each. Parking-related congestion, such as circling the block, can be addressed incrementally by the community using these tools.
The study does not recommend a new parking garage or additional publicly funded off-street parking, which it finds would not be a cost-effective way to address the challenges identified. It does not propose any specific street or block for metered parking, permit parking, or new restrictions, and it does not propose metered parking on residential streets anywhere in Montrose. It does not set a boundary for a parking benefit district; a district is created by City Council ordinance following local interest, and its boundary is drawn through that process. It does not recommend changing the City’s off-street parking requirements in Montrose, since the existing variance process already handles those questions case by case and is being used.
The study reflects how the Montrose RDA approaches public investment. Rather than assume a parking shortage and build for it, the RDA measured supply, modeled demand, and listened to more than 2,000 residents and businesses before committing any dollars. The result is public funds stay available for the infrastructure and public space projects the RDA was created to deliver.
Every parking tool in Houston is initiated by an applicant — a resident, business owner, or property owner — and evaluated by the City. A 311 request for parking restrictions or paid parking, or a residential permit petition, can now be evaluated by the City against data covering the entire study area.
The parking study summary is available at montrosehtx.org/projects/montrose-parking-study.