Changes to downtown car-sharing services and parking regulations are two things Kelowna is looking to change in the city’s 2030 Official Community Plan.
To help implement the changes, an amended parking and loading zoning bylaw, presented by Kelowna city planner Adam Cseke on Tuesday night, passed second and third reading by city council.
READ MORE: Kelowna city council reduces parking requirements for new developments
One highlight from the regulations includes clarifications around secondary suit parking, which will restrict certain city parking stalls for renters living in a basement suite or an additional dwelling of a house.
In the bylaw regulation, the number of total parking spaces for many families living in townhouses and houses within urban centres is also more restrictive in comparison to residents living outside of the downtown core.
Cseke said parking for commercial vehicles in many areas downtown is also being tightened under the proposed bylaw.
“For downtown commercial parking, staff considered further reductions. Right now, the regulations are for one commercial parking stall per hundred meters. The regulations would make it go down to 0.9 stalls,” he said.
“City staff looked at going down to zero stalls, however, none of the local policies recommended it.”
In terms of car sharing, developers within the urban core would be able to cut five normal parking stalls within their proposed project if they include one parking space for a car share vehicle.
The stalls would have to be located within 100 metres of the property.
Christian Brandt, a car representative from Modo, said he hoped the city would make car-share services more accessible under the amended bylaw.
“I’m requesting the council amends a staff recommendation with an increase in the permissible distance of an off-side parking space from 100 to 400 meters,” Brandt said.
Brandt said the increased radius would make it easier for people to use car-sharing serves across Kelowna.
You can visit all of the parking changes at the City of Kelowna website.
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