What is happening?

In July 2024, Administration will bring forward a Zoning Bylaw amendment to remove minimum off-street parking requirements for new developments.  There will still be requirements going forward for accessible parking, bicycle parking, hard surfacing and other similar exceptions. 

This page provides more information about the considerations and the current context, and how other municipalities have approached these changes.

Why changes being considered?

A comprehensive review of parking regulations has not been done in Saskatoon for at least 25 years. As other Canadian cities are examining their approaches to parking, and as Saskatoon is reviewing its Zoning Bylaw, City Council has requested that Administration work towards removing minimum parking requirements in the Zoning Bylaw. This is commonly referred to as “open option parking” and means that the Zoning Bylaw will no longer require new development to provide a certain number of parking spaces.  The developer, homeowner or business would decide how much parking should be provided based on market knowledge.   

Zoning Bylaw amendments to remove parking requirements are anticipated in to be brought to City Council for consideration in July 2024.  

What are the expected impacts? 

• Developers will be able to determine the amount of parking that is provided on a site.
  • Parking will no longer be a requirement for a development permit (with the exception of the noted exceptions).

How can I provide input?

If you have comments or questions about the proposed changes, please email zoningbylaw@saskatoon.ca.

Note: on-street parking is NOT part of this review. On-street parking will be reviewed and monitored to see if there is any impact over time from the removal of off-street parking minimums.

What are the benefits of removing minimum parking requirements?  

There are several benefits to removing minimum parking requirements beyond supporting affordable housing, including:  

• Increased overall affordability. The costs of building and maintaining parking are passed onto homeowners, renters, business owners and customers, regardless of whether they drive or not. When there are parking requirements, space that could be dedicated to more shops or housing is required to be dedicated to parking.
• Reduced development application review time / increased certainty for applicants. Other cities have noted that removing parking requirements has resulted in efficiencies in the review of development applications, with less time spent for applicants to understand and meet requirements and less time required to review applications for staff.
• Supports economic and business growth. Potential for more developable space and use of space that meets prospective residents and customers' needs.
• Supports sustainability goals and environmental leadership. Requiring parking incentivizes car ownership over other modes of transportation that have lower greenhouse gas emissions. Surface parking itself also increases the urban heat island effect, warming Saskatoon.
• Promotes an urban form that supports walkability and other modes of transportation. Abundant parking requires a lot of space and impacts how the city is built. More space for parking results in buildings that are further apart and less dense, and a built environment more supportive of personal vehicle use than other modes of transportation. This, in turn, has an impact on the walkability of an area. Flexibility in site design can be gained from removing parking requirements and lead to improved walkability.  
• Encourage infill development. Minimum parking requirements tend to encourage sprawl as developers move to areas which are less expensive and less complex to develop. Further, site constraints such as parking requirements on smaller, infill lots can be restrictive and, in some cases, can make projects unviable.
• Supporting personal choice. Minimum parking requirements makes assumptions about resident / customer demand for parking, without considering if the resident / customer is a vehicle owner or their preference is to use alternative transportation. People will make decisions based on several factors including availability of parking, income, commute times and personal choice about vehicle ownership
• Gradual and balanced change. Removing or reducing parking minimums does not result in an immediate change or reduction in available parking. Developers and businesses will continue to build parking based on market need. Changes to parking availability over time are incremental as people move to using alternative modes of transportation as they become more available.  

What are the barriers to implementation? 

• Adequate alternatives. Car-oriented infrastructure, like abundant parking, can make public transit less desirable and walking or cycling less practical, safe or convenient. Reducing available parking will make options like the future Bus Rapid Transit system more important as Saskatoon goes forward.
• Opposition or fear of change. Ensuring that any changes have a good communication strategy in place is important for the public to understand the recommended changes.
• Good on-street parking management. The City has a Residential Parking Program (RPP) in place for areas experiencing significant on-street parking congestion, usually generated by nearby businesses or institutions.
• No disincentive to provide adequate parking. If not enough parking is supplied, this could result in spill over, which may increase on-street parking or commercial parking lot uses.

What are other cities doing for parking regulations?  

Cities across North America are removing or reducing parking requirements.   Cities began implementing parking requirements in the mid-1900s in response to increased ownership of vehicles. More recently, however, cities have begun to remove or reduce parking requirements in favour of meeting other strategic goals such as affordability, climate goals and market requests.  When cities remove parking requirements, this is often referred to as ‘open-option parking’. In this instance, cities allow developers, homeowners and businesses to decide how much on-site parking to provide on their properties, based on their needs, activities, or lifestyle.  

What does it look like for other municipalities? 

Removing parking minimums does not mean that no parking will be provided. Rather, this approach assumes businesses and homeowners are aware of their parking needs and have an interest in ensuring they are met. This makes this approach more likely to align the amount of parking provided with the amount needed or wanted.  When this approach is taken, parking standards, like the size of parking stalls, hard surfacing and other mandatory features, are maintained. Requirements for accessible (barrier-free) parking spaces and bicycle parking also remain.  

In those cities that have removed parking requirements, change has been incremental and gradual. All municipalities that have made the change indicated they have not seen a large reduction in amount of off-street parking being provided. Parking continues to be provided at similar rates to those previously required through their zoning bylaws. The greatest reduction is typically seen in areas which are near rapid transit routes with access to alternative forms of transportation readily available.    

A key benefit of removing parking requirements is that it allows more flexibility and streamlines the development review process. 

More Information  

Information from six Canadian cities which have removed or reduced parking requirements, including an overview of the process these municipalities used and the outcomes and lessons learned, is provided here. 

 FULL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS DOCUMENT
 

How is parking regulated now?  

The City’s Zoning Bylaw (Section 6) sets the minimum number of required parking spaces to be on a property based on the area of the City, the type of use in a building and the size of that use or building. All applications for new development in the City of Saskatoon must meet these minimum requirements (with a few processes for exceptions).   

More information about for how parking is currently regulated can be found here.

Why are we reviewing parking regulations now?

A comprehensive review of parking regulations has not been done in Saskatoon for at least 25 years. As other Canadian cities are examining their approaches to parking, and as Saskatoon is reviewing its Zoning Bylaw, City Council requested that Administration report on options around minimum parking requirements.  Options were considered by City Council at their meeting in December 2023, and Council resolved that Administration work towards removing minimum parking requirements. City Council also approved the Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plan as part of the Housing Accelerator Fund. As part of this the City will be looking at options to remove parking requirements from areas that are within the defined Corridor Areas and for affordable housing. 

How Can You Get Involved?

The community is invited to provide their feedback on the Housing Accelerator Fund and proposed bylaw changes. Information about how to get involved can be found below.