Saskatoon council votes to remove minimum parking rules for new developments

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.

'A step in the right direction'

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."

Choquette noted the change will affect future developments, not take away existing parking.

"All of our existing parking stalls, they're not going anywhere. There continues to be an oversupply, in most cases, of parking," he said.

LISTEN | Zoning changes are in place, but will we actually see more affordable housing in Saskatoon?

Saskatoon Morning15:32Changes to the city's zoning are officially in place, but will we actually see more affordable housing in our city?

Host Candice Lipski talks with the CBC's Pratyush Dayal to break down changes to Saskatoon's zoning bylaws, paving the way for more density. Candice also talks with Tanya Burkart, with Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, which advocates for renters right across the country. 

'A big incentive'

Myles Parkinson, president of Vox Development, said the bylaw change means that instead of only being able to build 29 units in an affordable housing project being planned near the University of Saskatchewan, they will be able to build 56 units.

He said these units will have indoor and outdoor bike parking and storage, since many people living in affordable housing units do not own vehicles and rely on public transit or alternative modes of transportation.

"It will let us produce a greater amount of suites and, by that, we're able to lower the cost of admission for people to basically have a one-bedroom and two-bedroom unit. The size will be greatly impacted. We'll be able to condense everything, which will result in the tenant being able to have long-term affordability," he said.

The city said "a comprehensive review of parking rates across Saskatoon has not been done in at least 25 years" and that this decision is happening in tandem with a number of cities across North America that have been removing or reducing parking requirements.

Parkinson agreed it was a needed change.

"It's a big incentive because it basically enables us to inject this into our capital cost and then we're able to give it to the end user for a more affordable rate on the long term."