March 26th, 2024

As noted in previous UDI newsletters, at Council on March 11th, proposed changes to the Zoning Bylaw related to parking and loading were adopted. The changes cover bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities, off-street vehicle parking requirements, and off-street loading requirements.

The updated bylaw can be referenced here.

January 16th, 2024

At Planning and Development Committee on January 10th, a report was received with proposed amendments to the parking and loading sections of the Zoning Bylaw in response to the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) report recommendations, and recent changes to the Local Government Act (LGA).

Effective as of December 7th, 2023, Bill 47 amended the LGA to prohibit municipalities from requiring a minimum number of parking spaces for residential uses within TOD areas, except for accessible parking spaces. The proposed amendments aim to incorporate the recommendations of the TOD and TDM Policy report, while taking into consideration the recent Provincial legislative changes related to minimum parking requirements in TOD areas. Separate text amendments will be advanced to Council both prior to and after June 30th, 2024, to incorporate the remaining changes mandated by the new Provincial legislative changes related to small-scale multi-unit housing and minimum residential densities within TOD areas. Proposed amendments cover bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities, off-street vehicle parking requirements, and off-street loading requirements.

Proposed amendments related to bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities include:

• Expanding requirements for residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial uses which are currently addressed during the Comprehensive Development rezoning process, since the current Zoning Bylaw only requires this infrastructure in the P11-SFU Neighbourhood District;
• Formalizing bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities in a new schedule to the Zoning Bylaw;
• Introducing two types of parking spaces - Class A and Class B. Class A prioritizes secure and weather-protected bicycle parking for residents, employees, or individuals spending extended periods of time on-site, while Class B spaces focus on providing conveniently located and easily accessible bicycle parking for site visitors. Where multiple Class A spaces must be provided, a bicycle repair station and end-of-trip facility may also be required;
• Requiring end-of-trip facilities for non-residential uses where 4 or more Class A spaces are required to promote cycling, walking, or running to work.

Proposed amendments related to off-street parking include:

• Reducing the residential parking rate proposed for multiple-family dwelling units and purpose-built rental units, and introducing a definition for TOD areas, limited to lots that are located within 800m of a passenger rail station or 400m of a bus exchange;
• Removing the off-street parking requirement for all residential uses within TOD areas;
• Consolidating under more general residential categories the parking requirements for specific residential categories that have direct access to the ground level (i.e. townhouses).
• Introducing a new method for calculating the accessible parking requirement for multiple-family dwelling units to ensure these spaces are still provided within TOD areas. The proposed new method is based on total number of dwelling units, rather than the number of adaptable units and required off-street parking spaces. It also considers the forthcoming changes to the BC Building Code, which is anticipated to require all new dwelling units in apartments and condos to be adaptable;
• Requiring all new multi-family dwellings to provide the greater of 1 accessible parking space and 0.04 accessible parking spaces per dwelling unit. For non-residential uses, the greater of 2 accessible parking spaces and 0.02 accessible parking spaces per provided parking space must be provided;
• Removing the minimum parking requirement for commercial uses in a C1 District, and commercial uses in the C2 District with less than 235m2 of floor area;
• Introducing a TDM requirement for all new apartment buildings. This is intended to supplement TDM infrastructure with monetary contributions to enhance programs that support alternative transportation. A policy guide is being prepared by Transportation Engineering to clarify the financial contribution required for TDM.

Proposed amendments to off-street loading requirements include:

• Removing minimum loading requirements for commercial uses in a C1 District
• Proposing greater opportunities to share loading spaces across different uses, subject to submission of a loading management plan;
• Implementing a new requirement for residential loading spaces being proposed for developments with 100 dwelling units or more.

The proposed amendments will now be brought forward for advancement to a future Public Hearing. More information can be found in the full report by City staff.