RULES OF THE ROAD
Downtown parking may get easier.
Parking requirements in downtown core areas in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality could be even further relaxed in order to encourage residential development.
At a meeting this week, council considered a staff recommendation to eliminate residential parking requirements in the core area of the downtown central business district zone. Councillors passed a motion to hold a public hearing on the proposal at its next scheduled council meeting.
Planner Karen Neville noted that while many ground floor spaces of downtown buildings are occupied, many upper levels are vacant. It’s believed that relaxing the parking regulations could encourage property owners to develop those spaces as residential units.
“It’s potentially an attractive location for tenants that don’t need … a car,” Neville said.
The municipal planning strategy already had reduced parking requirements in the core areas. The current rules require one parking space be provided per two dwelling units. The new proposal is to eliminate that requirement and property owners could determine whether they provide parking to tenants.
The amendment would apply only to new and existing buildings in the core downtown areas. They include properties adjacent to Commercial Street in North Sydney, Commercial Street in Glace Bay and Charlotte Street in Sydney.
At a meeting in June, the general committee on planning and economic development passed a motion asking staff to prepare an issue paper addressing residential parking requirements in the core downtown areas.
In her issue paper, Neville noted that “a key ingredient for creating diverse downtown is to have major destinations that draw people to downtown for reasons other than employment.” Encouraging more people to live downtown is considered an important component of that.
CBRM council and staff have been looking at different ways to encourage development and revitalize the downtown areas.