Staff Report to Sustainable Development Advisory Committee — Z23-0014 / Bylaw No. 2135 — Off-Street Parking Requirements for 3-Bedroom Apartments

Background

The City comprehensively reviewed and updated the off-street parking regulations contained in Part 4 of the Zoning Bylaw in 2013 (Bylaw No. 1050). This Bylaw established the following off-street parking requirements for Apartment uses:

Apartment in Downtown Pedestrian Commercial Area (as shown on Map 21 in Bylaw No. 1200)

• 1 space per dwelling unit

Visitor Parking (in addition to #/unit):

Apartment outside of Downtown Pedestrian Commercial Area (as shown on Map 21 in Bylaw No. 1200)

• 1 space per dwelling unit with one bedroom or less
• 2 spaces per dwelling unit with more than one bedroom

Visitor Parking (in addition to #/unit):

Apartments within CD Zones (CD1, CD3, CD4, CD6, CD12)

• 1.5 spaces per dwelling unit with an additional 1 parking space per 4 units shall be assigned to visitors only

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In 2018, Council adopted Bylaw No. 1752, which, among other changes to the Zoning Bylaw, amended the required off-street parking for Apartments outside of the Comprehensive Development Zones to the following:

Apartment in City Centre and the Mixed Use Employment Centre designation (as shown on Map 2 in Bylaw No. 1200), unless otherwise specified in this bylaw

• 1.25 spaces per dwelling unit with two bedrooms or less, of which 0.25 shall be designated for visitor parking;
• 2.25 spaces per dwelling unit with more than 2 bedrooms, of which 0.25 shall be designated for visitor parking;

Apartment outside of the City Centre and the Mixed Use Employment Centre designation (as shown on Map 2 in Bylaw No. 1200), unless otherwise specified in this bylaw

• 2.75 spaces per dwelling unit with two bedrooms or less, of which 0.25 shall be designated for visitor parking;
• 3.75 spaces per dwelling unit with more than 2 bedrooms, of which 0.25 shall be designated for visitor parking;

The above changes implemented by Bylaw No. 1752 required the visitor parking for Apartments to be calculated as a 1 space per four units ratio (0.25 spaces per unit) throughout Langford, rather than on a sliding scale as previously allowed outside of the Comprehensive Development (CD) Zones. The other major changes accomplished by this Bylaw were to add a requirement for a second parking space for Apartments containing more than two bedrooms, and to increase the parking requirement for Apartments outside of the City Centre, Mixed Use Employment Centres, and CD Zones.

At that time, the high off-street parking requirement for Apartments outside of the City Center, Mixed-Use Employment Centres, and CD Zones was established as a disincentive for the construction of Apartments outside of these areas, as Council wished to focus multi-family development on core, mixed-use areas. It was also felt that larger Apartments containing more than two bedrooms would require more parking, although this was not substantiated in a parking demand study.

More recently in June 2022, a new category containing off-street parking requirements for Apartments within the Sooke Road Revitalization Area was added to the Zoning Bylaw as part of Bylaw No. 2077. The Sooke Road Revitalization Area, which includes properties located along Sooke Rd between Jacklin Rd and Happy Valley Rd, is subject to mixed-use design objectives similar to the City Centre. This Area includes several mixed-use buildings, with several more planned for construction. Furthermore, it is adjacent to the Galloping Goose Regional Trail and within a short bike/walk to Belmont Market, which contains a grocery store as well as other services and amenities. Due to these factors, Council authorized a number of variances to the off-street parking requirements as part of the rezoning process over the past few years, and it was felt that a separate category for this area was warranted. This change is copied below for reference.

Apartments within the Sooke Road Revitalization Development Permit Area designation (as shown on Map 20 in Bylaw No. 1200), unless otherwise specified in this Bylaw

• 1.25 spaces per dwelling unit with one bedroom or less, of which 0.25 shall be designated for visitor parking.
• 1.5 spaces per dwelling unit with more than one bedroom but less than three bedrooms, of which 0.25 shall be designated for visitor parking.
• 2.25 spaces per dwelling unit with three or more bedrooms, of which 0.25 shall be designated for visitor parking.

Commentary

Council supported Early Guidance for development applications on May 18, 2023 to provide clarity on their expectations and objectives for new development as an interim measure, while work continues on the Strategic Plan and the associated initiatives that Council wishes to implement.

The following factors (among others) were included in the Early Guidance as being desirable and beneficial components of Council’s vision of high quality, sustainable, livable density:

• Inclusion of 2-3 bedroom apartments for families as well as other family supports such as in-suite storage, in-building amenities etc.
• Consideration of relative affordability opportunities.
• Avoidance of excessive vehicle parking, and strategic provision of enhanced supports for alternatives to vehicle ownership and use, including diverse urban biking options, walking, public transit use and carshare.

It has been approximately 5 years since the requirement for an additional parking space for a 3-bedroom apartment was incorporated into the Zoning Bylaw. During this time, staff have received feedback from the development community indicating that the requirement to provide a second parking space added a barrier to constructing these larger, family-oriented apartments/condos, while also hearing from the public that there is a demand for this type of housing option due its relative affordability compared to a townhouse, duplex, or single-family home.

This additional parking space has been identified as a barrier for several reasons, including the physical amount of land/building required to incorporate the parking space, the questionable need for the additional parking space based on actual usage of parking, and the cost of constructing the additional space, which pushes the cost associated with the 3-bedroom unit much higher, and arguably out of the affordability range for many wishing to live in that type of home.

Further to this, the City’s Housing Needs Report (2020) identified families as having the highest projected additional household need in Langford. Due to these factors, Council may wish to proceed with addressing this barrier to both the provision of 3-bedroom apartments and the affordability of these homes in the short term. If Council is supportive of this, they may wish to proceed with consideration of first reading to Bylaw No. 2135.

In the medium to long term, Council is considering an initiative to review the City’s off-street parking standards, as part of the strategic plan. This has not been comprehensively done in 10 years, so there may be a number of adjustments to the residential requirements (including associated visitor parking) as well as those applied to other land uses such as commercial and light industrial.

An integral part of reviewing off-street parking requirements, particularly when reducing those requirements, is to ensure alternative modes of transportation are accommodated. With the recent implementation of the BLINK rapid transit bus route, the ongoing construction of new multi-use path and sidewalk infill or capital works projects, and the Strategic Planning Progress update to Council on May 18, 2023, which included related initiatives including an active transportation plan, Council may wish to reconsider the City’s approach to the on-site bicycle parking required as part of new developments. If both residents and patrons of businesses have access to an appropriate number of safe and secure bicycle parking spaces, the option to utilize this alternative mode of travel becomes more attractive and practical, particularly in conjunction with an improved bicycle infrastructure network. Staff suggest that improvements can be made to the number of bicycle parking spaces required for different land uses, and that best practices for the design of public/commercial bicycle racks and private bicycle storage rooms (i.e. in apartments and/or for employees of commercial uses such as offices) should be implemented. This work can occur in tandem with, or even in advance of, the review of the off-street parking requirements for vehicles.

Financial Implications

None anticipated. While the suggested new parking ratios are generally in line with those of other municipalities (except to the extent that the ratio for Apartments outside of the CD Zones and core areas is still higher than typical), reducing the minimum requirements could result in a demand for additional public parking and/or increased requests for enforcement of existing on-street parking.

Legal Implications

Should Council choose to proceed with consideration of Bylaw No. 2135, a Public Hearing will be scheduled in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act.

Options

Option 1

THAT the Sustainable Development Advisory Committee recommend:

That Council proceed with consideration of First Reading of Bylaw No. 2135.

OR Option 2

THAT the Sustainable Development Advisory Committee recommend:

That Council take no action at this time with respect to Bylaw No. 2135.

Submitted By

SUBMITTED BY: Leah Stohmann, MCIP, RPP, Deputy Director of Planning and Subdivision

Concurrence:
Donna Petrie, Senior Manager of Business Development and Events
Concurrence:
Yari Nielsen, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities
Concurrence:
Matthew Baldwin, MCIP, RPP, Director of Planning and Subdivision
Concurrence:
Katelyn Balzer, P.Eng., Director of Engineering and Public Works
Concurrence:
Michael Dillabaugh, CPA, CA, Director of Finance
Concurrence:
Marie Watmough, Deputy Director of Corporate Services
Concurrence: Braden Hutchins, Director of Corporate Services
Concurrence:
Darren Kiedyk, Chief Administrative Officer