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Parking standards |
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As part of the Zoning Bylaw Project, parking and loading standards were reviewed separately to determine new standards. Consultant studies looked at parking requirements for Places of Worship, Places of Assembly and Loading requirements. Also, a Car Share study examines the impact of providing dedicated parking spaces for car share vehicles in multi-unit residential buildings. Consultants studies prepared in 2005 and 2007 are also available.
Places of Worship - Parking Standards
A consultant study of the parking requirements for places of worship  was undertaken. The study noted an increase in the variety of faith groups found in the City and identified a trend for newer facilities to be above average size. Also, a higher proportion of new facilities are locating in the traditional industrial areas of the City.
 
From a parking demand perspective, places of worship are a particularly complex and varied class of land use for which to determine a simplified, composite set of parking standards. The new zoning standards express the parking requirements as the number of parking spaces required per 100 square metres of worship floor space. Typically, less than half the floor space of the building is devoted to worship space and the remainder is used to accommodate related, ancillary activities. The person capacity of the worship space depends on the manner in which it is occupied and the new standards vary according to whether the worship space is designed with fixed seating arrangements or not.
The parking standards for places of worship vary across four areas: (i) Downtown and Central Waterfront; (ii) Centres; (iii) Avenues, and (iv) Rest of the City. These variations primarily reflect the varying levels of auto use found in these different parts of the City. In the first three areas (those targeted for mixed use growth), maximum parking standards are also specified. Other key factors in determining the parking standards relate to the assumed average car occupancy rate and the design attendance level.
In applying the standards, the amount of parking required for the use is the greater of the parking requirements generated by either the building's worship space or by ancillary uses.
Places of Assembly - Parking Standards
As part of the Zoning Bylaw Project, a consultant study was undertaken to determine the parking requirements of a generic group of land uses referred to as places of assembly . The study revealed two broad sub-classes within this group: an entertainment/amusement class of uses (such as theatres, cinemas, and bingo halls); and a social/cultural class of uses (such as banquet halls, night clubs and convention centres).
Uses in the entertainment class generally have fixed seating arrangements while those in the social/cultural class often use their floor space in more flexible ways. For both classes, the standards vary by location and the assumptions made regarding modal split, car occupancy rates and design attendance levels.
The standards reflect the fact that many places of assembly experience their peak use in the evenings or at weekends and, as a result, a portion of the regular peak parking demand will be met in surrounding off-site parking facilities. A number of these uses commonly occur in association with shopping plazas or malls.
The study also revealed that, given their unique parking generation characteristics, separate standards are justified for bowling alleys and billiard halls.
Car Share Study
A consultant study of the impact of providing dedicated parking spaces for car share vehicles in multi-unit residential buildings on average car ownership rates was undertaken as part of the zoning bylaw project. Over recent years a number of high-rise condominium developments, primarily in the Downtown, have sought reductions in the required parking in return for providing on-site parking space(s) for the sole use of car share vehicles. To date, these proposals for reduced parking have been handled on a case by case basis.
By comparing average car ownership rates in condominium buildings with and without car share spaces, the consultant study determined that the availability of car share parking has a small but significant impact on reducing the building's level of car ownership and, therefore, parking demand. In general, the study found that a reduction of up to four parking spaces for each dedicated car share space can be warranted.
 The study also presents recommendations about how the car share spaces should be secured, where they should be located and how they should be made available to the residents of the building and other non-resident subscribers.
Loading Standards
A transportation consultant was retained to develop a new set of revised, city-wide loading standards for multi-unit residential, commercial and industrial land uses to be included in the new zoning bylaw. Currently, loading standards vary across the City. The Downtown, for example, has detailed loading standards based on studies undertaken in the 1980's while, at the other extreme, Scarborough has no zoning requirements for loading spaces and reliance is placed on the site plan approval process. North York and Etobicoke have loading requirements in their zoning bylaws but they are not as specific as those that apply in the Downtown.
The consultant recognized the need for a consistent approach to the development and application of loading standards in order to establish a set of uniform loading requirements across the City. The new loading standards follow the Downtown practice of distinguishing loading space requirements by size as well as number. Four size categories of loading space apply: types A, B and C accommodate large, medium and small trucks respectively, with the type A space having a minimum length of 17m. The fourth category is the type G space that is required for City garbage trucks serving multi-unit residential developments.
Unlike most of the parking standards, the loading standards for a given land use are the same across all areas of the City.
Previous parking studies
The March 31, 2005 staff report recommended several tasks which are now complete:
- reviewed current parking standards and recommend an approach to consolidate the standards - Phase 1 study by IBI Group (964 kb)
- determined appropriate parking standards for apartment buildings (condominium and rental), condominium townhouse with six or more units, commercial, government and medical offices, and
retail uses to be identified through the review process - see studies below by IBI Group and Cansult Limited
- enacted uniform parking space dimensions
- developed front yard parking and landscaping regulations - approved by the Ontario Municipal Board in a decision dated June 29, 2007
The 2007 staff report summarizes the findings of IBI and Cansult studies referred to above. The study by IBI Group (1.59 MB) looks at parking standards for office, restaurant and retail uses. The Cansult Limited (2.01 MB) study, addresses the parking needs of condominium and rental apartments, as well as townhouses with common parking areas. The IBI study draws on the results of parking utilization surveys of some 800 commercial parking lots and the Cansult study uses the survey returns from approximately 5,000 households living in apartments across the City. Council adopted staff's recommendations to release the consultants reports and to consult with stakeholders and the public in each District.
The Phase 1 study was completed in 2005 by the IBI Group. The study provides a comprehensive review (964 kb) of the parking and loading standards in the City’s current zoning bylaws combined with an assessment of the issues and approaches involved in their consolidation. City Council adopted the staff report on Phase 1 parking and loading zoning standards review at its meeting on June 14-16, 2005.
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