Developers in the downtown core may soon catch a break when it comes to providing parking spaces.
A proposed new program could see them pay a fee to the city instead, with those funds put toward future municipal parking projects and efforts to shift people away from the use of private vehicles.
“City staff have created a payment-in-lieu of off-street parking policy that is intended to bring flexibility into the development review process, while ensuring the city is fiscally responsible,” the report reads.
“Guelph is doing what it takes to create more housing options to address Ontario’s housing crisis. As part of the city’s housing pledge, city staff continue to create tools that provide flexibility and make it easier for housing to be approved and for more affordable housing to be built.”
Meeting as the committee of the whole, council will get its first formal look at the proposed policy on Feb. 6.
Under the program, developers would be able to apply to reduce the number of on-site parking spaces they’re required to provide.
In the case of conversions and additions to existing buildings, the city fee would range between 12.5 and 75 per cent of the cost of a parking space, depending on the quantity they wish not to provide. On the low end is one to 10 spaces, with the 75 per cent fee applicable in cases of 30 or more spaces.
When it comes to new builds, the fee ranges between 25 and 90 per cent of the cost of parking space, based on the same range of spaces noted above.
The program offers advantages to the municipality and developers, the staff report suggests.
They include making more efficient use of parking spaces – “Private parking is only used by patrons of a specific business or facility, while municipal parking is used for various purposes over more hours of the day.” – increased city oversight of parking quantity and accessibility, greater flexibility for developers, and creates a new revenue source for the city.
