TOWNSHIP OF ESQUIMALT STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: June 9, 2025, Report No. DEV-25-022
TO: Council
FROM: Bill Brown, Director of Development Services
SUBJECT: Parking Bylaw, 2025, No. 3089
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That Council give first, second, and third readings to Parking Bylaw, 2025, No. 3089 attached as Appendix “A” for staff report DEV-25-022.
Body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Parking is a complex issue that impacts two of the most pressing issues that Council is facing, namely, climate change and affordable housing. These two areas are inextricably linked through parking as follows:
• Reduced parking supply is linked to reduced vehicle ownership.
• Reduced vehicle ownership is linked to reduced driving.
• Reduced driving results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
• Reduced parking supply also means smaller parkades which reduces the cost of construction.
• Reduced costs of parkade construction mean reduced costs of housing.
• Reduced parkade size also requires less greenhouse gas intensive materials such as concrete and steel which results in less embodied greenhouse gas emissions.
The proposed Parking Bylaw contains several regulatory measures aimed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with motor vehicle travel and to reduce the cost of housing by reducing the number of parking stalls required. Specifically, the proposed Parking Bylaw contains regulations related to parking for electric vehicles, parking requirements for bicycles, and transportation demand management provisions allowing for a further reduction in parking requirements upon the provision of transportation demand management tools. All of these can contribute to reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and reduce housing costs.
The process to develop the proposed Parking Bylaw has been long and thorough. It has involved extensive public consultation, Council review, and research. To realize the benefits associated with the proposed Parking Bylaw, implementation as soon as possible is required.
BACKGROUND:
Council has identified the updating of the Parking Bylaw as a Council Priority. The process of preparing the bylaw has been extensive as outlined in the chronology below:
Chronology:
• May 2, 2022 - Council awards parking study contract to Urban Systems (see staff report EPW-22-007)
• July 19, 2022 - Consultants present preliminary findings to the Advisory Planning Committee.
• August 10, 2022 - Consultants present preliminary findings to the Design Review Committee.
• August 22, 2022 - Consultants present preliminary findings to the Committee of the Whole (see staff report DEV-22-076)
• August 21, 2023 - Consultants present drafts of the Integrated Parking Management Strategy and Parking Bylaw (see staff report DEV-23-058)
• September 6 to October 4, 2023 - Community check-in period on final drafts
• February 12, 2024 - Staff and consultants present updated Integrated Parking Management Strategy and Parking Bylaw to the Committee of the Whole (see staff report DEV-24-003).
When Council last reviewed the bylaw at their Committee of the Whole meeting on February 12, 2024, they provided staff with the following direction as recorded in the Committee of the Whole minutes of the meeting that were received at the February 26, 2024, Council meeting:
1. That the Committee of the Whole recommend that the Council direct staff to amend the Frequent Transit Network Area in the draft Parking Bylaw to be 400 metres from a bus route.
2. That the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council direct staff to change the width dimension of an access door for Bicycle Parking to 1 meter in the draft Parking Bylaw.
3. That the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council direct staff to differentiate the cash-in-lieu for parking policy for smaller developments.
4. That the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council direct staff to finalize the Parking Bylaw and bring it back to a future Council meeting for Council’s consideration.
5. That Council direct staff to look at further reducing the parking requirements for affordable housing units, including considering whether zero parking minimums would be appropriate, in order to incentivize the creation of affordable units in mixed projects or in dedicated affordable projects.
Staff responses to this direction are found in the Analysis section of this report.
Referral Comments:
Following the Committee of the Whole, the draft bylaw was referred to a lawyer for review. This resulted in the need for a significant reorganization of the bylaw along with several other changes. These changes are summarized in the “Esquimalt Parking Bylaw - Change Tracking Table” attached as Appendix “B” to this report. In addition, the draft Bylaw was also circulated internally to the following departments for a final review:
- Engineering and Public Works
- Corporate Services
- Parks and Recreation
- Fire Rescue
- Development Services
Comments received from this circulation have been incorporated into the Bylaw where appropriate.
ANALYSIS:
At their February 12, 2024, Committee of the Whole Meeting Council provided staff with the following instructions related to the Draft Parking Bylaw:
1. That the Committee of the Whole recommend that the Council direct staff to amend the Frequent Transit Network Area in the draft Parking Bylaw to be 400 metres from a bus route.
The Frequent Transit Areas map has been changed to incorporate a 400 m setback from major bus routes. Note that this does not include portions of Route No. 25 that goes through the West Bay and Saxe Point neighbourhoods or Route No. 24 that goes along Old Esquimalt Road and Colville Road.
2. That the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council direct staff to change the width dimension of an access door for Bicycle Parking to 1 meter in the draft Parking Bylaw.
This dimension has been changed to 1 metre.
3. That the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council direct staff to differentiate the cash-in-lieu for parking policy for smaller developments.
The initiative to incorporate a cash-in-lieu policy was originally suggested by staff. However, during the review of proposed Parking Bylaw, a small-scale developer pointed out that this initiative would cause problems for small-scale developers. In response, Council requested that staff change the provision to differentiate the cash-in-lieu policy for small-scale developments. Upon further reflection, staff recommend that this initiative not be pursued at this time as it is difficult to establish an equitable cash-in-lieu value for specific scales of development. Staff feel that the proposed bylaw contains sufficient provisions for reducing parking space requirements such as transportation demand management incentives. In addition, this initiative would represent an increased administrative burden on staff including the establishment of reserve fund(s) for all money collected and the preparation of an annual report respecting the previous year in relation to the reserve funds received and expended. If Council wishes to proceed with this initiative, staff suggest that the proposed Parking Bylaw be processed at this time and staff be instructed to return with a more thorough analysis of issues related to cash-in-lieu provisions in the future.
4. That the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council direct staff to finalize the Parking Bylaw and bring it back to a future Council meeting for Council’s consideration.
The revised final draft of the Bylaw is attached to Staff Report DEV-25-022 for Council’s review and consideration of first, second and third readings.
5. That Council direct staff to look at reducing the parking requirements for affordable housing units, including considering whether zero parking minimums would be appropriate, in order to incentivize the creation of affordable units in mixed projects or in dedicated affordable projects.
The parking requirement for developments located in the Esquimalt Frequent Transit Area is 0. This is a reduction from 0.4 stalls per studio dwelling unit, 0.6 stalls per one-bedroom unit, and 0.85 stalls per dwelling unit for units greater than one bedroom. The latter requirements still apply to Affordable Housing located outside an Esquimalt Frequent Transit Area.
In addition to the changes to the proposed Bylaw noted above and those indicated in the Table of Changes in Appendix “B”, staff have made the following changes:
- A definition of “Gross Floor Area” has been added since this is used in several parking calculations.
- The “Compliance” section has been changed to the “Change of Use” section and reworded to make it clear which sections of the proposed Bylaw apply when there is a change of use in an existing building.
- Alternative “Vehicle Parking Space and Aisle Dimension Requirements” have been added to Table 2. These dimensions are based on the City of Victoria’s requirements which are more familiar to local architects. It is noted that an architect/designer can only use the Township’s standard or the “alternative” standard, not both.
- Table 1 has been revised to accommodate Small Scale Multi-Unit Housing as well as Suites and Detached Accessory Dwelling Units that do not meet the definition of Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing development.
Environmental Impact:
The proposed Parking Bylaw contains numerous provisions to reduce environmental impacts including but not limited to:
1. Reduction in the required number of parking spaces can reduce vehicle ownership and vehicle miles travelled.
2. Requirements for bicycle parking encourages the use of alternative transportation.
3. Requirements for electrical vehicle charging infrastructure allows people to purchase an electric vehicle knowing that they will be able to charge it conveniently. While electric vehicles may reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with vehicle miles travelled, there is debate about other potential negative environmental impacts associated with the manufacture of electric vehicles.
4. The bylaw contains provisions for reductions in parking requirements when transportation demand management initiatives associated with a development are implemented.
5. Abundant and cheap parking may incentivize driving.
6. Reducing required parking may reduce the footprint of parking structures thereby allowing more space for landscaping.
OPTIONS:
• Motion - That Council give first, second, and third readings to Parking Bylaw, 2025, No. 3089 attached as Appendix “A” to staff report DEV-25-022.
• Alternative 1 - That Council give first reading to Parking Bylaw, 2025, No. 3089 attached as Appendix “A” to staff report DEV-25-022 and instruct staff to return with additional information or proposed amendments.
• Alternative 2 - That Council defeat first reading of Parking Bylaw, 2025, No. 3089 attached as Appendix “A” to staff report DEV-25-022
COUNCIL PRIORITY:
Housing
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There are no significant financial impacts on the Township associated with the proposed Bylaw.
COMMUNICATIONS/ENGAGEMENT:
There has been a significant public consultation process associated with the development of the proposed Parking Bylaw. The “What We Heard Engagement Summary” prepared by the consultant is attached to staff report DEV-22-076 (August 22, 2022).
TIMELINES & NEXT STEPS:
Following receipt of the first three readings, the Bylaw will be returned to Council for adoption. It should be noted that several development permit applications are in abeyance waiting for the adoption of the proposed Bylaw.
REPORT REVIEWED BY:
1. Deb Hopkins, Director of Corporate Services, Reviewed
2. Dan Horan, Chief Administrative Officer, Concurrence
LIST OF ATTACHMENTS:
1. Appendix “A” Parking Bylaw, 2025, No. 3089.
2. Appendix “B” Bylaw Tracking Table showing changes to the proposed Bylaw since the Committed of the Whole review on February 12, 2024.