COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REPORT: PARKING REVIEW TERMS OF REFERENCE

PARKING REVIEW TERMS OF REFERENCE

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated October 5, 2023, from the Director of Development Services titled “Off-Street Parking Review Terms of Reference” be received for information.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to present the Committee with the draft terms of reference for the Off-Street Parking Review (non-core project N-099 in the Financial Plan 2023 – 2027) to be included in the Request for Proposal.

TIME CRITICAL:

Staff must prepare the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Parking Review by the end of October 2023.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

In the Financial Plan 2023 – 2027, Council approved the Off-Street Parking Review as a non-core project (N-099) to be completed in 2023 – 2024. The project objectives include the following:

• undertake a comprehensive review and update of the Town’s parking regulations, including accessible and bicycle parking requirements;
• ensure that the parking requirements reflect current policies, local parking needs and best practices; and
• carry out extensive stakeholder and public engagement to test parking innovations.

The next step is to prepare the RFP and upload onto the Province’s BCBid website by the end of October 2023 to attract interest from qualified professionals to assist the Town in carrying out the project. Staff would like to have a consultant selected for this project before the end of the year.

BACKGROUND:

Council requested an opportunity to review the draft terms of reference for the Off-Street Parking Review prior to the RFP being posted on BCBid. This report has been prepared for the Committee to review and provide feedback on the draft terms.

DISCUSSION:

The overarching goal of this project is to modernize the Town’s off-street parking requirements, including accessible and bicycle parking, currently found in the Zoning Bylaw. The deliverable would include a review of the vehicle and bicycle parking requirements, minimum parking dimensions, the location, design and use of on-site parking areas, EV charging, landscaping and cash-in-lieu requirements.

To achieve the goal of this project, staff have prepared the following draft terms of reference and objectives for the RFP:

• Review of the Town’s current off-street parking and bicycle parking requirements with particular attention to parking ratios for rental vs homeownership housing, seniors housing, affordable housing, and other forms of housing tenure.
• Review of the Town’s parking requirements for commercial, institutional and park uses
• Consider for shared parking opportunities for compatible uses and ratios, along with other criteria
• Analysis of past parking variances for developments
• Consider for off-street loading requirements
• Review of parking stall and aisle dimensions
• Review of electrical vehicle charging requirements and associated infrastructure for residential, commercial and institutional uses
• Review of accessible parking requirements and associated design guidelines, and establish requirements that meet best practices for persons with disabilities
• Review of bicycle parking and electric mobility device standards, including short term and long-term standards, dimensions, bicycle storage designs and end of trip facilities. Analysis must consider the needs for storage/protection of larger cargo bikes, bike trailers and electric bicycles
• Review of the Town’s cash-in-lieu program for developments that are unable to meet the required parking and the assignment of funds collected from the program
• Provide recommendations on parking minimums vs parking maximums
• Provide latest research and planning best practices related to parking policy and regulations that are design specifically to improve quality of place, and encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation (i.e., transit, cycle, walking)
• Provide latest research and planning best practices on transportation demand management (TDM) measures and recommendations on embedding acceptable TDM measures in the Zoning Bylaw, or through the creation of a separate policy to offset impacts of parking variances
• Consider opportunities to delegate minor parking variances for commercial uses to staff where a building/parkade already exists and compliance with a new regulation will not be feasible
• Provide an engagement plan to undertake a comprehensive community consultation process and involve the following external stakeholders: residents from as many demographic profiles as possible, First Nations, BC Transit, local businesses, advisory committees, people with disabilities, Capital Bike, Urban Design Institute, development industry, schools, Island Health, Capital Regional District, neighbouring municipalities, to name a few.

Staff welcomes feedback from the Committee on the draft terms prior to completing the RFP for the project.

SUSTAINABILITY/CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS:

The risk on not undertaking a fulsome review of the Town’s parking standards as outlined under the proposed terms of reference would likely result in more parking variances and undesirable site planning and impacts from a sustainability perspective. Moreover, providing too much parking can discourage residents from using alternative modes of transportation. Lastly, this work will support the Town’s Community Climate Action Policy and Community Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Plan which strongly encourages multi-modal transportation options and shifts beyond the car.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

The Financial Plan 2023 – 2027 allocated $35,000 in 2023 and $40,000 in 2024 of casino revenue to carry out this project.

ALTERNATIVES:

No alternatives are provided for this report.

CONCLUSION:

Staff have prepared the draft terms of reference for the Off-street Parking Review for Council’s consideration. Any feedback that is provided by Council will be incorporated in the terms of reference, where possible, prior to completing the RFP and posting on BCBid website by the end of October 2023.

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment A: Off-street Parking Review Project Summary (N-099).