Cold Lake City Council is discussing the idea of easing up on downtown parking requirements for businesses looking to set up or expand on 50th Avenue.
“Every time we deal with an application for business expansion or a new business, they always struggle to meet the parking requirements,” said Howard Pinnock, manager of planning and development.
The issue of parking requirements in downtown Cold Lake was raised during their March 15 corporate priorities committee, after the city received a letter from the Cold Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce requesting a reduction in the minimum requirements within the downtown. Currently, when a business-owner applies for an expansion or a new business, they must have a certain number of parking stalls with a 30 per cent variance allowed. Under the city's land use bylaw, it also allows the city to consider cash-in-lieu of providing on-site parking for the development.
Businesses are also allowed to enter into inter-property agreements where they share parking space with an adjacent development in order to meet the requirements.
However, with the parking bylaw, as well as the variance, up for interpretation by the development office and subdivision development appeal board (SDAB), councillors were concerned with the equality issues it presents.
“The optics of the issue is that (the bylaw) is used at various subdivision development appeal boards to prevent certain developments,” said Coun. Bob Buckle. “How can we even fairly apply these standards when it come to parking and parking variances? I'm feeling uneasy about the way we positioned ourselves with the land use bylaw in the downtown core.”
Buckle added, “The Best Western expansion, for example, the city required them to purchase property but the business across the street must have a lot of variance – their neighbour had no capacity to offer an agreement.”
As part of the land use bylaw review, city administration examined those of other towns and cities. Out of communities studied, some also have an allowance to reduce requirements with the discretion being given to the municipal planning commission or development authority, while some don't have any parking requirements for businesses. City administration also looked at the City of Edmonton, seeing that they offer reductions for proximity to transit service and higher density residential developments.
Speaking of the City of Edmonton, councillors also raised the point that in many cities consumers are required to walk to their destination.
“In Cold Lake there's this expectation of parking within a two-minute walk from the business you're visiting. Parking requirements are so close to the property rather than just downtown parking as a whole,” said Coun. Chris Vining.
When looking at specific examples, councillors cited the building currently housing the Pirouette School of Dance as one that would have major issues should a large business look at moving in.
“We have a three-story building with pretty much nothing in it, just the dance studio at night. What if someone come and develops it into an office with a bunch of people working out of it? Well we'd say they couldn't do it because there's not enough parking,” said Vining.
Coun. Kelvin Plain added, “Downtown goes through rejuvenation periods. Will it get to a point where there's no criteria for parking and maybe the city should start looking at the land down there for paid parking and then you just walk around.”
While there wasn't a definitive solution, council decided they need to take a closer look at the downtown parking requirements and the possibility of making it easier for developments to meet them.
“I would say yes, we do need to look at it further,” said Buckle. “Right now, the way the land use bylaw is written it allows way too much interpretation. There there's the argument, should there be no parking requirements?”
City administration will be exploring possible options further before making recommendations to city council for consideration at a future council meeting.
