‘We’re a bit parking mad here,’ Iveson says

Committee members take first steps to cut requirements in some areas

Edmonton may lose its title of parking capital of Canada.

“We’re a bit parking mad here,” said Mayor Don Iveson, before councillors at executive committee voted to cut in half low-density residential parking requirements and create further reductions for all types of buildings around transit stops.

The first move still needs council approval, but could be in place before the next construction season. Reductions around quality transit would follow.

Other citywide reductions for shops, offices and high-density residential will be subject to a full parking review, expected back in 2019.

“Great cities are not built around cars and parking spaces,” said Iveson, crediting this as a major step toward reshaping a more walkable, affordable city.

Edmonton currently requires two off-street parking spaces per dwelling, more than any of the six Canadian cities surveyed. It also requires more parking for apartments, row houses and garage suites, which is a key reason garage and garden suites have been slow to take off.

Thirty-one people took out permits to build a garage suite in 2015.

Garage and garden suites are often required to have a double garage and driveway for the house, plus an additional parking spot, which just can’t be nicely accommodated on a normal lot, said Derrick Hiltz, operations manager with Sterling Homes.

“The size of the structure gets so big. I’m keyed up for the simple,” he said, picturing a ground-level garden suite for seniors with no additional parking.

Planning experts says minimum parking requirements set too high can stifle economic development, especially along main streets with shops and services.

Parking is also a lightning rod at public hearings. Residents worry their streets will be choked with cars, preventing visitors from finding spots. Many feel the space in front of their homes should be reserved for them.

“This story could be seen as anticar,” said Coun. Scott McKeen, cautioning city staff to make sure all the benefits of reducing parking are clearly explained.

He’s also worried about neighbourhoods that have seen parking issues created by people treating residential neighbourhoods as a park-and-ride or parking lot for nearby hospitals and universities.

Residents of Groat Estates in his ward became so frustrated with people parking and taking the bus they secured resident-only parking.

But city officials said they were surprised at the openness they found when they asked residents about parking.

“We thought we might run into total brick walls,” senior planner Ann Stevenson said.

Planners are also working on a policy to control parking where residential, commercial and institutional parking is causing frustration.

With surveys and workshops, planners found most residents want parking targets set to accommodate normal demand, not peak demand, as is currently the case.

Restaurants on main streets currently have to provide one parking spot for every 3.6 square metres. City staff found the most support for requiring one spot for every 15 square metres, Stevenson said: “There is (also) strong and consistent support for reducing parking close to transit.”