Interestingly, it seems that both environmental groups and developers are on the same page when it comes to the changes: there is widespread support. Photo Credit: iStock.
City councillors recently directed city staff to move forward with public consultation on changing the city’s parking standards.
Currently, when there are applications for new buildings or extensions to structures, developers must adhere to municipal parking requirements.
Those standards are a part of the city’s zoning by-laws.
As an example, the City of Hamilton website notes that if someone is planning to build a new 100-unit apartment building they would need to provide a minimum of one parking space per unit.
However, in some areas of the city like Ancaster and Glanbrook, developers need to provide two spaces per unit plus additional parking for visitors.
In downtown Hamilton and other areas that are designated Transit Oriented Zones, the parking standard is under one space per unit.
But city staff note that there has not been a comprehensive city-wide review of parking standards since 2005.
They also say that the practice has “resulted in providing an oversupply of ‘free’ parking that has contributed to auto-oriented land use planning and increased auto dependency.”
As a result, a staff report recommended that the city be split up into different zones with changes to parking requirements.
In Zone A (which includes wards one to four, a portion of ward five and the lands along the A-line corridor) minimum parking standards would be eliminated.
Zones B, C, and D would have a hybrid approach but would be lower than the current requirements.
The city would also expand the use of parking maximums and introduce requirements to ensure that developments are electric vehicle ready.
Interestingly, it seems that both environmental groups and developers are on the same page when it comes to the changes: there is widespread support.
For environmental groups, the changes are seen as a way to reduce dependence on cars and encourage public transit use.
For the home-building industry, the changes mean removing and/or reducing what are considered unnecessary regulations and allowing them to build parking based on market demands.
Indeed, the West End Home Builders’ Association, an advocacy group for the land development, home building and renovation industries, supports the proposed changes to parking requirements.
The group says that a single parking space can cost more than $100,000 to build and that when parking is required the costs are then passed on to the purchaser or renter.
They also say that parking requirements can impact the viability of developments altogether since they require significant space.
After hearing the report from city staff, councillors voted to authorize staff to move ahead with public engagement on the Draft Parking Standards Plan.
The public engagement process is currently live and the Parking Standards Review Survey can be found here.
The City of Hamilton will also be hosting a virtual public information meeting regarding parking standards this Thursday, January 18 at 6 p.m.
Those wishing to attend the meeting can register online here.
When the public consultation process closes staff will be reporting back to the Planning Committee summarizing public input and recommending the final version of the proposed changes at one of their upcoming meetings.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
