Bloomington, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 9 § 9.20
ENCLOSED PARKING SPACE CONVERSION ALLOWANCE (Bloomington Housing Opportunity and Preservation Ordinance)
Operative Text
(a) To incentivize the creation of opportunity housing units, a residential development that includes at least 9% of its total dwelling units affordable to households at or below 60% of AMI may convert required enclosed parking spaces to unenclosed parking spaces depending on the level of affordability provided as follows: (1) A development with 9% of its units qualifying as extremely low income affordable housing qualifies to convert 50% of required enclosed parking spaces to unenclosed parking spaces provided that the affordable housing agreement required pursuant to § 9.32 provides that the owner will make all parking spaces accessible to the opportunity housing units without charge; (2) A development with 20% of its units qualifying as extremely low income affordable housing qualifies to convert 100% of required enclosed parking spaces to unenclosed parking spaces provided that the affordable housing agreement required pursuant to § 9.32 provides that the owner will make all parking spaces accessible to the opportunity housing units without charge; (3) A development with 9% of its units qualifying as very low income affordable housing qualifies to convert 50% of required enclosed parking spaces to unenclosed parking spaces provided that the recorded affordable housing agreement required pursuant to § 9.32 provides that the owner will make all parking spaces accessible to the opportunity housing units without charge; or (4) A development with 9% of its units qualifying as low income affordable housing qualifies to convert 10% of required enclosed parking spaces to unenclosed parking spaces provided that the recorded affordable housing agreement required pursuant to § 9.32 provides that the owner will make all parking spaces accessible to the opportunity housing units without charge. (b) The enclosed parking space conversion allowances provided in this section are not cumulative. Each qualifying development is eligible for only one enclosed parking space conversion allowance of 10% to 100% depending on the level of affordability provided. (c) In mixed use developments, potential enclosed parking space conversion allowance incentives may only be applied to the required enclosed parking spaces created by the residential portion of the development. (d) Opportunity housing units must have access to parking spaces that are comparable in quality and design to parking spaces accessible to market rate units. For example, if a development has enclosed and unenclosed parking spaces, the development agreement required pursuant to § 9.35 will affirm that the designation of enclosed and unenclosed parking spaces to opportunity housing units will be proportional to the designation of enclosed and unenclosed parking spaces to market rate units. (Ord. 2019-16 , passed 2-25-2019; Ord. 2019-30 , passed 8-5-2019; Ord. 2021-1 , passed 3-8-2021; Ord. 2024-5 , passed 3-18-2024)
Bloomington, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 9.20 establishes a tiered incentive that allows residential developments to swap some or all of their required enclosed parking spaces for unenclosed spaces when a meaningful share of units is reserved for lower-income households. The conversion percentage—ranging from 10% up to 100% of required enclosed spaces—scales with both the depth of affordability (extremely low, very low, or low income) and the share of qualifying units. Critically, the allowances are not stackable, only one tier applies per development, and opportunity housing units must receive parking access that is proportionally comparable in quality to what market-rate residents receive.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Developers and property owners pursuing the enclosed parking conversion allowance under § 9.20 typically structure their affordable housing commitments early in the entitlement process, since the applicable conversion tier is determined by the percentage and income level of qualifying units at the time the affordable housing agreement under § 9.32 is recorded. Compliant operators ensure that the recorded agreement explicitly commits to making all parking spaces accessible to opportunity housing units at no charge, and that any parking designation between enclosed and unenclosed spaces is distributed proportionally across both affordable and market-rate units. In mixed-use projects, operators generally track the residential and non-residential parking requirements separately, since § 9.20(c) limits the conversion allowance to spaces generated by the residential portion only.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Residents living in opportunity housing units in a development that used the § 9.20 conversion allowance are entitled to parking access that is comparable in quality and design to what market-rate tenants receive—meaning the split between enclosed and unenclosed spaces should be proportional, not skewed against affordable units. The development agreement required under § 9.35 is the document that affirms this proportionality commitment, and tenants may request to review it or raise its terms if they believe their parking access does not reflect what the ordinance requires. Tenant-rights organizations in the Bloomington area or the city's housing staff can be a starting point for understanding how to surface a concern about parking equity under this provision.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 15, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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