NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — In a big change for businesses and home builders in Newport News, city leaders voted to wipe away minimum parking requirements at its Tuesday night council meeting. By the looks of other city ordinances, this makes Newport News the first in both Hampton Roads and the peninsula to eliminate minimum parking requirements.

Supporters of this move claim the requirements hindered city growth, and even decreased affordable housing.

“I think this is really important for our city,” Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones said. “It’s how we have a pro-growth mindset here in Newport News.”

It was a discussion met with no debate at the city council meeting this week. John Watson brought the issue to the council, saying these requirements have pushed developers out of Newport News, in favor of cities with more undeveloped space like Suffolk and Chesapeake.

“I believe that developers will invest in your community if they have the right incentives,” Watson said. “We just have to give them those incentives.”

Watsons’ proposal gets rid of a long list of minimum parking requirements that were once on the books. They include one parking space for each single family home, hotels needing at least one space for each guest room and restaurants requiring one parking space for every 100-square-feet of floor space.

One example Watson spoke about was how difficult the requirements make turning an old warehouse into a restaurant — something that would have required making more than a dozen new parking spaces. City leaders agreed with Watson, saying getting rid of these requirements will improve the quality of life in Newport News.

The council voted unanimously in favor of striking down minimum parking requirements.