Vancouver to axe minimum parking requirements in West End, Broadway areas

City of Vancouver to eliminate minimum parking requirements in new buildings in the West End and Broadway areas

Alexander Steamaze/Shutterstock

Currently, municipal governments typically regulate the amount of vehicle parking provided in a new building by stipulating the minimum number of stalls that must be provided.

This is calculated based on a combination of a number of factors, such as the floor area density, types of building uses, and building site conditions.

Since 2019, such minimum vehicle parking requirements have been eliminated for much of the downtown Vancouver peninsula, particularly the entire area of the Central Business District.

And now, City of Vancouver staff are recommending the expansion of the same eliminated minimum vehicle parking requirement standards across the West End neighbourhood, the area deemed to be “Robson North,” and the Broadway Plan area. This would effectively eliminate minimum vehicle parking requirements for much of the Metro Core area.

It is expected to be approved by Vancouver City Council next week, with the policy then taking effect on January 1, 2024.

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This central area is suitable for such a policy shift as it is highly walkable, with optimal cycling infrastructure, and served by major public transit services, which will only greatly improve by 2026 when the six subway stations of SkyTrain’s Millennium Line Broadway Extension open.

Over the years, City Council has approved various motions directing City staff to explore eliminating minimum vehicle parking requirements, and this was also a direction within the Broadway Plan.

vancouver eliminated minimum vehicle parking requirements 2024

Area where minimum vehicle parking supply requirements will be eliminated starting in January 2024, including the 2019 elimination area of Downtown. (City of Vancouver)

According to City staff, the move could push more projects into the realm of financial viability, given the significant costs of deeper excavation and the concrete required for underground parking levels.

This could also particularly benefit projects on smaller and more challenging sites, which currently overcome small lot size constraints by building expensive large heavy-duty vehicle elevators to reduce the spatial needs for circuitous parking ramps.

The smaller construction scope would reduce carbon emissions, help increase housing and job space supply, and potentially improve the affordability of non-market rental housing projects.

While the changes will eliminate minimum vehicle parking requirements for general uses, they will not reduce the number of stalls required for accessible parking and visitor parking.

Beyond the current changes for the Metro Core, City staff will also consider introducing vehicle parking supply maximums, and explore eliminating the minimums across Vancouver, with a report in late 2024 outlining further possible measures.

City staff state the cost of building underground parking levels for apartment projects — including service areas, mechanical rooms, loading areas, or storage units — can exceed 20% of total project construction costs. The cost to build each underground vehicle parking stall is about $60,000 to $80,000, with the cost going up to as much as over $120,000 per stall depending on site size, layout efficiency, and/or soil conditions.

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2019 excavation work for the underground vehicle parking levels of The Stack office tower in downtown Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

It is suggested that the existing 2019 policy is working as intended in other areas of the downtown Vancouver peninsula outside of the West End. City staff state vehicle parking provided for secured purpose-built rental housing projects in this area has dropped substantially from pre-2019 requirements, with nearly zero parking provided for a total of 717 new rental units.

However, strata condominium projects in the area are still providing parking at a similar rate before the 2019 policy changes, with 1.15 stalls provided for each condominium unit.

City staff also note that they are looking to make minor changes to bicycle room design standards and increase transportation demand management measures, which are measures and incentives provided by the developer that encourage building users to walk, cycle, and use public transit and carsharing services.

It is acknowledged that reducing the provided off-street vehicle parking supply could increase demand for curbside street parking, but the City says this can be managed through existing tools if required.

“Where on-street parking is highly regulated, such as in the Metro Core, the City has tools such as residential permits, time limits or parking meters to manage the demand for curb space,” reads a City staff report.

“The Metro Core is also well-served by many existing off-street parking facilities to help absorb surplus demand. Currently, where on-street parking is not regulated in residential areas, permit parking is typically only introduced at the request of residents on the block. In commercial areas, time limits or parking meters can be implemented to better manage on-street parking.”

CF Pacific underground parking entrance at the corner of Robson and Howe streets. (Google Maps)

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