As mentioned in previous updates, on March 4th, Council adopted the proposed updates to the Zoning Bylaw that amend the existing parking regulations for residential, commercial, and industrial land uses. The proposed data-driven amendments to Delta's parking regulations will reduce the financial barriers on new development, as well as bring Delta's requirements in line with comparator municipalities. The updated parking requirements will also allow flexibility for the market to supply parking that matches actual demand.  

February 4, 2025

At their meeting on January 20th, Council gave three readings to the proposed updates to the Zoning Bylaw that would amend the existing parking regulations for residential, commercial, and industrial land uses. The proposed data-driven amendments to Delta's parking regulations will reduce the financial barriers on new development, as well as bring Delta's requirements in line with comparator municipalities. The updated parking requirements will also allow flexibility for the market to supply parking that matches the actual demand. 

Proposed Parking Space Widths:  

To aid in reducing the spatial and financial impacts of parking on new development, staff propose to reduce the required width of a standard parking space from 2.75 m (9 ft) to 2.6 m (8.5 ft), which is in line with many other municipalities in the region. Staff are not proposing to amend the width of a small car parking space, as Delta's regulation is already consistent with other jurisdictions.  

Further, staff are proposing a change in how parking space width is calculated when the space is adjacent to a pillar, column, wall, or other obstruction. Currently, any parking space that is adjacent to an obstruction is required to be wider [an additional 0.25 m (0.8 ft) for a standard parking space and an additional 0.3 m (1 ft) for a small car space]. Staff are proposing to permit obstructions within 1.2 m (4 ft) of the front and rear of the parking space, as these spaces will not encumber the swing path of a vehicle's door. This will allow greater flexibility in the design of underground parking structures, where columns are often adjacent to parking spaces without affecting the vehicle door swing. 

Staff are also proposing to reduce the width of accessible parking spaces from 2.5 m (8 ft) to 2.4 m (7.9 ft) to align with the BC Building Code. These spaces will still require a 1.5 m (5 ft) wide access aisle adjacent to the space to permit movement into and out of vehicles. 

Proposed Requirement for Small Car Spaces:  

Staff are proposing to permit up to 50% of required parking spaces to be small car spaces. 

Proposed Parking Requirements for Residential Uses:  

Staff are proposing the following amendments to Delta's parking rates to more closely align with actual demand:  

• Apartment buildings (strata):  

• Studio and one-bedroom units: reduce the rate from 1.3 spaces/unit to 1 space/unit  
• Two or more-bedroom units: reduce the rate from 1.5 spaces/unit to 1 space/unit  

• Apartment buildings (purpose-built rental):  

• Reduce the rate from 1 space/unit to 0.75 spaces/unit  

• Townhouse:  

• Reduce the rate from 2 spaces/unit to 1.5 spaces/unit  
• Reduce the visitor parking rate for developments with six or more units from 0.2 spaces/unit to 0.1 spaces/unit 

Additional information can be found in the full report by City staff.