City Council:
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CITY OF
MOUNT VERNON ZONING CODE TO
TEMPORARILY REDUCE IN-LIEU
PARKING FEES ASSOCIATED WITH
LAND USE BOARD APPROVALS
Whereas, in correspondence dated May 7, 2026, the Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Community Development formally requested authorization to temporarily reduce in-lieu parking fees associated with land use approvals in order to promote consistency with the City’s adopted Comprehensive Plan, encourage housing development, reduce unnecessary barriers to investment, and provide interim relief while the City undertakes a comprehensive revision of its Zoning Ordinance; and
Whereas, the City of Mount Vernon has adopted a Comprehensive Plan intended to guide future land use, housing, transportation, and economic development policy throughout the City; and
Whereas, the current Zoning Code requires the payment of in-lieu parking fees when an applicant is unable to provide the full amount of off-street parking required by the zoning ordinance and receives approval for a parking variance or related relief from the Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”); and
Whereas, the current parking requirements contained in the Zoning Code require two parking spaces per dwelling unit for multi-residential developments regardless of unit size, occupancy characteristics, proximity to transit, or neighborhood context; and
Whereas, the City Council has determined that the existing parking requirements and associated in-lieu fee structure are inconsistent with the goals and recommendations contained within the adopted Comprehensive Plan, including policies intended to encourage transit-oriented development, housing opportunity, and appropriately scaled residential development; and
Whereas, the City Council recognizes that Mount Vernon’s current parking requirements are significantly higher and less flexible than those of neighboring municipalities, many of which scale parking requirements based upon dwelling unit size and transit accessibility; and
Whereas, the current fee structure has created financial hardship for certain small and medium-sized development projects, delayed land use approvals, and contributed to inconsistency in the administration and enforcement of parking-related requirements; and
Whereas, the City has commenced the process of comprehensively updating and modernizing its Zoning Ordinance, including reevaluation of parking standards and related development requirements; and
Whereas, the City Council finds that temporarily reducing the in-lieu parking fees during the interim zoning update process will provide fair notice to applicants, promote consistency with the Comprehensive Plan, encourage economically viable housing development, and support the orderly processing of pending and future land use applications; and
Whereas, the City Council further finds that encouraging market-rate housing development of varying sizes and forms advances the City’s obligations and policy commitments concerning fair housing choice and economic opportunity; and
Whereas, the City Council wants to establish a temporary reduction in parking in-lieu fees in order to facilitate appropriate development while preserving the City’s authority to impose such fees under the Zoning Code;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED, by the City Council of the City of Mount Vernon as follows:
Section 1. Purpose and Intent. The purpose of this Ordinance is to temporarily reduce in-lieu parking fees associated with land use approvals in order to promote consistency with the City’s adopted Comprehensive Plan, encourage housing development, reduce unnecessary barriers to investment, and provide interim relief while the City undertakes a comprehensive revision of its Zoning Ordinance.
Section 2. Temporary Reduction of Parking In-Lieu Fees. Notwithstanding any contrary provision contained in the Zoning Code of the City of Mount Vernon, including but not limited to §267.40 and Attachment 3 thereto, all required in-lieu parking fees associated with parking variances or related land use approvals shall be temporarily reduced by fifty percent (50%).
The temporary reduction established herein shall apply to all qualifying applications approved on or after November 1, 2025, and shall remain in effect through January 31, 2027, unless extended, modified, or repealed by further action of the City Council.
Section 3. Applicability. The reduced fee established by this Ordinance shall apply to:
1. Applications before the Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board, or other land use board requiring payment of in-lieu parking fees as a condition of approval; and
2. Applications approved but not yet finalized as of the effective date of this Ordinance, provided that the applicable fee has not yet been paid in full.
The fee shall become due and payable upon execution of the applicable resolution, approval, or agreement and prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy or other final authorization, unless otherwise determined by the City.
Section 4. Findings. The City Council hereby finds and determines that:
A. Existing parking requirements disproportionately affect smaller residential developments and transit-supported housing proposals;
B. Strict enforcement of the existing parking fee structure may render otherwise beneficial housing projects financially infeasible;
C. Reducing the fee on a temporary basis will encourage investment, increase housing opportunities, and promote economic development within the City;
D. Temporary relief is appropriate pending adoption of a revised Zoning Ordinance and updated parking standards consistent with the Comprehensive Plan; and
E. The public interest is best served by encouraging appropriate residential and mixed-use development while maintaining a reasonable fee structure for parking deficiencies.
Section 5. No Waiver of Future Authority. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as permanently modifying, repealing, or eliminating the City’s authority to require parking, grant parking variances, or assess in-lieu parking fees pursuant to the Zoning Code or any future zoning amendments adopted by the City Council.
Section 6. Severability. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section, or part of this Ordinance shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the specific provision directly involved in the controversy.
Section 7. Effective Date. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon adoption by the City Council and approval by the Board of Estimate and Contract.