Centrepointe CDP area exempt from new parking minimums once bylaw passes
Ottawa committee approves changes to parking bylaw for inner urban core
By Jennifer McIntosh
Ottawa East News, Jun 29, 2016
A new City of Ottawa bylaw that would reduce the number of parking spots required for developments in the inner urban core, won’t apply to areas within the boundaries of the Centrepointe Community Design Plan, said College Coun. Rick Chiarelli.
The city’s planning committee approved changes to the minimum-parking bylaw on June 28. It’s the first time the city has altered the bylaw since the 1960s. The changes will be considered by council on July 13.
Under the new rules, developments within a 400-800-metre walk from light rail stations would not have to provide parking – except apartment buildings that have more than 12 units.
“There’s so much going on at Centrepointe that it makes sense for us to do minimum parking requirements at the same time as maximums,” Chiarelli said.
The community design plan for Centrepointe has been in the works for the last seven years. Chiarelli said 200 residents attended the last public meeting.
He added that a city staffer at the meeting said the city would be looking at parking maximums over the next few months.
At the planning committee meeting, staff wouldn’t commit to a timeline.
Aside from the community design plan, a development is proposed for 19 Centrepointe Dr., at the intersection of Constellation Drives.
“With the Centrepointe CDP looking for new, targeted zoning in the place of parking lots, it’s best to wait to deal with parking,” Chiarelli said, adding the exemption from the bylaw change would mean Centrepointe adheres to the original minimums set out 50 years ago.
Planning committee chair Jan Harder said there is a lot of pressure for parking spots in that area, and any reduction to minimums would drive cars to residential roads.
The committee carried his motion – which will keep the parking requirements status quo in Centrepointe for the time being – but Chiarelli said he had two dozen speakers on hand who were willing to make a pitch to committee.
The committee also approved a motion by Kanata South Coun. Allan Hubley that clarifies the rules around visitor parking. The motion also clarified that the rules will apply to the urban core, not the suburban and rural areas.
“You can imagine the overflow on residential streets if developers got an exemption from parking requirements in the suburbs,” Harder said.
Some of the highlights of the bylaw changes include:
* Near rapid transit stations outside the core, parking rates on non-residential properties could be reduced by up to 50 per cent.
* In the inner urban area, small-scale development both residential and commercial, would be exempt from parking minimums. Non-residential properties parking requirements could be reduced by half.
Jennifer McIntosh is the political reporter for Metroland Media¹s Ottawa papers. She can be reached at
jennifer.mcintosh@metroland.com.
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well actually you need to participate at some point in the process as well.
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