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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-06-050 - On-Stret Parking Policy - New Residential Subdivisions1 Kd LR Development& Technical Services 6 REPORT Report To: Development &Technical Services Committee Date of Meeting: September 5, 2006 Submitted By: John McBride Prepared By: Ken Mayer Ward(s) Involved: All Date of Report: August 10, 2006 Report No.: DTS 06 -050 Subject: ON- STREET PARKING POLICY NEW RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISIONS RECOMMENDATION: That the On- Street Parking Policy be received for information and considered for inclusion in the Neighbourhood Design Guidelines at the October 2 2006 Development & Technical Services Committee meeting. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This report has been prepared to introduce a new policy for the design and implementation of on- street parking in new residential subdivisions. The need for a review of parking conditions in these areas is in response to the primary issue of residents having difficulties in attaining sufficient parking on the street and within their property. The combination of the following factors affects the availability of parking and creates other issues with bylaw compliance and enforcement: - increase in the amount of small -lot single homes; - concentration of street - fronting townhouse blocks; - general increase in density; - increase in vehicle ownership; - resident needs to widen driveways; - use of garage for purposes other than parking These conditions also create a challenge in attaining a reasonable balance between transportation demand management and market preferences. The report outlines the recommended expansion of the current subdivision design guidelines which form the policy -2- criteria in order to provide clarification, direction and design specifications to plan for adequate parking in new residential areas. BACKGROUND: The current subdivision requirements dealing with on- street parking have been in place since the year 2000. At that time, new zoning regulations were adopted for residential areas that increased the minimum lot width for single detached dwellings, and addressed garage width, garage projections, and driveway width. The basis for these changes included consideration of providing parking, specifically the pairing of driveways to allow one on- street parking space for every two houses, assuming single- driveway width. In conjunction with these changes, staff have now been requiring developers to provide on- street parking plans through the subdivision approval process for consideration prior to draft approval, or prior to issuance of building permits, or more recently prior to servicing. The parking plans have been useful in identifying the location and amount of parking which will be available on the new streets, however there are limitations with the current process relative to the timing for the plan submission and the lack of specific criteria associated with the number of spaces, the design, and the location of the parking. Also, more recently an issue has developed with the concentration of street - fronting townhouse units, where the subdivision has been approved and registered with lotless blocks. This has resulted in contiguous blocks of townhouse units and blocks of units on both sides of the street where the area available for on- street parking is minimal and falls well below the intended target. It is staff's assessment that the current requirements should be expanded to address these issues. REPORT: Historically, the requirement for plans showing driveway locations in residential subdivisions has been in place within the approval process for over 20 years. The basis for this requirement was to ensure that the plans were designed such that driveways were located away from public walkways and park entrances, and that the driveways were paired where practical to maximize the space available for on- street parking. This arrangement of driveways generally allowed for at least one parking space in front of every two homes. The driveway location plans were required to be submitted prior to issuance of building permits, however under current development situations it is too late in the process to require changes to the driveway locations as the plan would be registered and the services may be installed. More recently, the timing for the submission of an on- street parking plan has been tied to draft approval in cases where the entire subdivision has been lotted. However, in all other cases, and where servicing takes place prior to registration or where the plan has been registered with lotless blocks, the building permit stage is too late in the process to make changes to the lotting or service locations, thereby impacting the amount of on- street parking. The proposed policy entails criteria specific to the number of on- street parking spaces to be required, their location, and the timing of parking plan submission relative to the subdivision approval process. The criteria also ensures that the parking plans are coordinated with the overall grading, lotting and servicing design of the subdivision. -3- A requirement of 1 on- street parking space for each 2 residential units is proposed. In this regard, the design component which pairs driveways historically has been effective in assuring a supply of parking, and has become accepted and generally expected by residents as a source of parking for their own convenience and for visitors. The proposed requirement is based in part on this standard, and also is equivalent to the visitor parking requirement associated with multiple dwelling developments. In cases where the required parking cannot be provided, consideration would be given to the following parking design options: - communal off - street parking lots constructed by the subdivider as common - element parking (owned & operated by a condominium corporation) - incorporating parking spaces into the centre islands of cul -de -sacs - increasing the length of driveways In order to ensure that sufficient on- street parking is provided in new subdivisions, and that the parking plans can be reviewed at the appropriate time frame within the approval process, the following policy criteria is recommended. ON- STREET PARKING POLICY New street - fronting residential development shall provide on- street parking opportunities at a ratio of one parallel on- street parking space for every two residential houses, and in accordance with the following criteria. 1. On- Street Parking Plan The Subdivider shall submit an on- street parking plan for all lots or blocks within the plan intended for street - fronting residential development. The timing for the submission of the required on- street parking plans shall be as follows: a) Prior to Draft Approval The subdivider shall submit a preliminary driveway location /on- street parking plan. In addition to the criteria in parts 1.c), 2. and 3., the preliminary plan shall also show maximum driveway widths permitted by current zoning regulations for all lots. b) Post Draft Approval i) For plans where servicing is to occur before registration - parking plan required prior to approval of servicing drawings ii) For plans where servicing is to occur after registration - on- street parking plan required prior to registration iii) For plans which are registered with lotless blocks - on- street parking plan required prior to approval of servicing drawings of the blocks to be lotted -4- c) The driveway location /on- street parking plan shall show the following: i) the location of driveways, driveway ramps and curb openings for all lots; ii) the pairing of driveways, except where considered impractical or unnecessary by the City's Director of Transportation Planning; iii) where lots in the subdivision abut a park entrance or a public walkway, driveways on the side of the lot furthest away from the park entrance or public walkway, as the case may be; and iv) the location of concrete transit pads, community mailbox pads, and fire hydrants, where the location has been determined by the appropriate authorities. d) The Subdivider shall submit with the plan, a letter from its consulting engineer that the plan has been coordinated with the Grading Control Plan, planned utility locations, and other street furniture. 2. Location Of On- Street Parking Spaces: The on- street parking spaces shall be located at the prescribed ratio in accordance with the following: i) within the street block containing the units and /or on either side of an abutting intersecting street within the flankage of the corner lot ii) a minimum of 1.5 metres from the driveway ramp /curb opening iii) a minimum of 9 metres from an intersection, as measured from the point of intersection formed by the projection of the curb lines or edges of pavement where there is no curb iv) not to be located across from a "T" intersection v) parking is not permitted along school frontages vi) parking along park frontages shall be reviewed on a case -by -case basis vii) parking is not permitted within 3 metres of a fire hydrant viii) parking is not permitted within 15 metres of a bus stop ix) parking is not to be located in front of a pedestrian walkway or trail which continues on the opposite side of the street 3. Size of On- Street Parking Space: On- street parking spaces shall be shown in accordance with the following: i) where there are two or less tandem on- street parking spaces provided, the length of each on- street parking space shall be 5.5 metres ii) the width of each on- street parking space shall be 2.4 metres iii) where there are more than two tandem on- street parking spaces provided, the length of each Internal on- street parking space shall be 6.7 metres -5- FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: N /A. COMMUNICATIONS: A draft report was presented to the Waterloo Region Homebuilders Liaison Committee for consideration. Revisions have been incorporated based on input from the Committee, and further input solicited of the Committee on this report has not been received to date. CONCLUSION: In the interest of continually improving subdivision planning, the recommended on- street parking policy is intended to address parking issues in new residential subdivisions, and to complement guidelines, standards and expectations for subdivision design which will be addressed through the Neighbourhood Design Initiative process. John McBride Director, Transportation Planning Brandon Sloan Senior Planner Jeff Willmer Director, Planning Division Ken Mayer Coordinator of Traffic Planning