Surrey Councillor Linda Annis is calling for the city to scrap minimum parking requirements for new housing developments along rapid transit routes as well as for new not-for-profit housing.
Getting rid of these requirements, she reasons, will speed up development approvals for new housing and make homes more affordable.
Annis presented a notice of motion Nov. 20 asking city staff to report to council about making that happen.
Mayor Brenda Locke questioned if the city isn’t already addressing this.
In May, council adopted a staff recommendation to reduce off-street parking spaces around market rental housing while the city continues to shoe-horn multi-family residential projects into Surrey.
And in June, council endorsed a corporate report that recommended reducing parking minimums in rapid transit areas as well as reducing parking requirements for rental housing developments and extending in-lieu of parking options to rapid transit areas at $20,000 per stall.
The aim is to cut back on parking available to Surrey motorists along major rapid transit lines in an effort to wean drivers off their cars and get more people using public transit.
READ ALSO: Surrey council moves to reduce parking along rapid transit corridors
READ ALSO: Surrey to reduce off-street parking around market rental housing
Don Luymes, Surrey’s general manager of planning and development, told council on Nov. 20 there are provisions that prohibit minimum parking standards for some development within a “certain distance” of transit.
“Councillor Annis’s notice of motion appears to be a bit more general than that,” and includes some categories that are not included in provincial legislation. “So perhaps we can look at the two together and come back to council with a fulsome review.”
However, Annis said she wants her notice of motion to stand.
“I do feel that time is of the essence to get more housing built, and more affordable housing and when I hear how much it costs for underground parking where it’s probably not needed, I would like to make sure this happens sooner as opposed to later.”
It will be voted on at council’s next regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 4.
READ ALSO: Surrey council initiative grants to be better scrutinized
Annis also issued a press release noting that building on-site parking can cost $50,000 or more per stall.
“At the same time, planning and excavation for an underground garage add to the time it takes to approve and build a project, something we all want to streamline and shorten,” Annis stated in her press release. “The fact is, when it comes to cars and transit, times are changing, and forcing minimum parking requirements on new development projects means unnecessary added costs for homeowners who are looking for more affordability.”
She says while accessible spots for people with disabilities, visitor spaces and loading zones should still be required, “when a project is on a transit route the minimum number of spots should no longer be required, which would reduce the number of spots and reduce the price of a home.
“It’s time to take a second look at these parking minimums, particularly along transit routes where changes in demand should dictate the number of parking spots,” she said. “The whole idea of a transit-centred neighbourhood is to reduce the need for cars and encourage walkability.”