Item - 2022.EY30.22

The Etobicoke York Community Council:

1. Requested Transportation Services report to the April 19, 2022 Etobicoke York Community Council on the necessary steps required to amend Municipal Code Chapter 925, Permit Parking, in order to exclude Ward 2 from accepting new applications for permit parking. 

In December 2021 City Council adopted PH29.3 Recommended Parking Requirements for New Development, and in doing so removed the minimum parking space supply requirements for new developments.

Many parts of the City, including Etobicoke Centre, have an abundance of streets which are free from permanent parking, and this is among the attractive characteristics of these neighbourhoods. The principle of containing a building's servicing within the development itself, including parking, is consistent with the City's official Plan. It should be no surprise that overnight or recurrent street-parked vehicles are a frequent source of complaints from residents, and that the vehicles complicate maintenance and snow clearing operations. Parking enforcement activity to address these vehicles is resource intensive, and is not always an effective tool to manage the issue.

The staff report on PH29.3 acknowledged the concern of spillover of parking into neighbourhoods near developments, and proposed that it be addressed through introducing further measures to limit residents of, visitors to or tradespersons at new development from parking on-street. However the mechanism suggested within the report to do so is ad-hoc and geared to areas of the City which already have on-street parking. The mechanism also relies on secondary approvals to proceed through the Council process in conjunction with a development approval.

The purpose of this motion is to request a staff report which will identify how to exclude Ward 2 from accepting new applications for new permanent on-street parking program locations as a means to provide certainty. This change will ensure a clear message is sent to prospective developers and future occupants that despite the removal of minimum parking requirements, new development proposals must contain adequate parking spaces and there can be no expectation that spillover parking will be absorbed by the surrounding neighbourhood. It will also streamline the Council process and alleviate the need for supplemental reports and approvals.