Saskatoon council votes to remove minimum parking rules for new developments
CBC
Saskatoon city council has voted to remove minimum off-street parking requirements for new developments.
The zoning bylaw amendment passed unanimously on Wednesday evening. It does not affect on-street parking rules.
Previously, the amount of off-street parking required was based on the size of the building, the number of housing units and the use. Now, the developer, homeowner or business can decide how much parking to provide.
The change is part of a raft of bylaw amendments the city needed to make to qualify for money in the federal government's Housing Accelerator Fund, targeted at increasing the supply of affordable housing.
"We won't even notice it, but it will enable more housing to be built and for us to have vibrant neighbours and less wasted spaces… a bold move by council," Mayor Charlie Clark said at a public hearing at Saskatoon city council Wednesday evening.
He said bringing down the building costs by removing parking requirements will help speed up new housing builds.
Jon Naylor was one of four speakers at the public hearing and was the only one who spoke against the by-law, saying it would punish people who rely on cars.
"I'm concerned that if we under-build parking at administration's preferred response, it will punish residents by enacting stricter parking bylaws. We already have hospital workers who have trouble finding parking, and families who rely on cars," Naylor said.
Stakeholders welcomed the move, saying the prior minimum parking requirements increased the total cost of development, contributing to higher rents.
Cameron Choquette, CEO of the Saskatchewan Landlord Association, said "it's a step in the right direction" to remove minimum parking requirements.
He said the move will help reduce the costs of development and allow developers and rental housing providers to build the number of parking stalls that will meet their target market.
For example, for a 36-unit seniors residence, Choquette said an oversupply of parking would be "wasting money on parking stalls that are going to sit empty" when those dollars could be directed to add more units or upgrade some of the features.
"Bottom line is we hope that it increases the amount of units that are able to be built on a site rather than asphalt pavement and parking stalls," Choquette said.
"It's important that city council be progressive, be nimble and agile when it comes to zoning bylaws, development policies, reviews, etc., because those impact day-to-day housing starts, affordability, each and every day."
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Chris Corbin's love of retro video games came from a cousin he lost as a child. His older cousin was a gamer with a few systems, and died at 15 when Corbin was 11.
Three people are dead and one person is seriously injured after two single-vehicle crashes Friday on P.E.I.
When the province announced that most Albertans will have to pay for COVID-19 vaccines themselves going forward, the phones at Mohamed Elfishawi's two Edmonton pharmacies started ringing.
A new research review out of the University of British Columbia (UBC) has found that Indigenous people experience better health outcomes when they speak their traditional languages.
The Toronto Rock are officially coming back to Hamilton.
There's a national overdose hotline that some Canadians call before they're about to use drugs. But the people dialling in aren't who you might think.
Looking for something to do on Canada Day? Good news. There's a lot going on not just in Thunder Bay, but across northwestern Ontario on Tuesday, July 1.
With summer here and school out, families across southwestern Ontario are flocking to Lake Huron and Lake Erie. But with the beauty of the Great Lakes comes real danger, especially for inexperienced swimmers or those unfamiliar with lake conditions.
Forty-seven years after the rainbow Pride flag was first raised, Pride P.E.I. says the symbol still holds deep meaning as a sign of progress and a reminder that more work remains for true inclusion.
Beautiful, long-lasting and supports local harvesters — those are a few reasons why N.W.T. fashion designer D'Arcy Moses wants to incorporate fur knitting into his repertoire, and he's travelled to Ontario to learn how.
Before taking their latest chance to weigh in on the wisdom of exiting the Canada Pension Plan, Albertans must first watch a five-minute video, most of which tries to persuade them how great an idea it is.
Kensington Market's popular Pedestrian Sunday festival is back this month, but its future for the rest of the season remains unclear as organizers look for solutions on safety concerns and the problem of illegal vendors.
To meet the federal government's promise to "build, baby, build," the country is going to need a whole lot more skilled trades workers. But a shortage of shop class teachers in Canadian high schools might make them hard to find.