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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2017-11-02_COW_Public_Agenda PackagePage 1 of 2 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE AGENDA Thursday,November 2,2017 Chester Municipal Council Chambers 151 King Street, Chester, NS 1.MEETING CALLED TO ORDER. 2.APPROVAL OF AGENDA/ORDER OF BUSINESS. 3.PUBLIC INPUT SESSION (8:45 A.M.–9:00 A.M.) 4.MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: 4.1.Committee of the Whole –October 19, 2017 5.MATTERS ARISING: 6.CORRESPONDENCE: 7.NEW BUSINESS: 7.1 Grant Request in support of the work Engage Nova Scotia are doing across the region. 7.2 Grant Report –Village of Chester. 7.3 FCM Sustainable Communities Conference 2018 –Registration. 7.4 Request for Decision prepared by Community Development Department dated October 19,2017 regarding Chester Village Central Commercial Zone Parking Requirements. 8.IN CAMERA. 9.ADJOURNMENT. NOTE:HIGHWAY 3 STREETSCAPE WORKSHOP TO FOLLOW COW MEETING 1 Cindy Hannaford Subject:FW: Engage Nova Scotia On Sep 28, 2017, at 4:52 PM, Danny Graham <dgraham@engagenovascotia.ca> wrote: Allen, We are looking forward to your municipality’s involvement in the public engagement clinic on October 11th. We hope your participation will help build trust with your citizens and strengthen your decision-making processes. We are also delighted that a number of your neighbouring municipalities are joining inthis clinic. Our work together will ensure more Nova Scotians and their leaders areworking collaboratively, inclusively and effectively. Engage is a non-profit organization supported by private and public contributors. Weinvite your municipality to provide support with a grant in support of the work we are doing across the region and specifically in your region of Nova Scotia. You might consider an amount in the range of $500.Your participation in the clinic is not dependent on providing a grant. I’d be happy to discuss this opportunity with you if you have any questions about the ongoing work of Engage Nova Scotia. Thank you for your consideration Danny Graham Chief Engagement Officer <Municipal Donor Agreement.pdf> Friday, October 27, 2017 3:03:25 PM - FCM - FCM’s Sustainable Communities Conference: where innovation meets action - Municipality of the District of Chester Community Development Department Application Briefing Prepared for:Municipal Council Submitted by:Garth Sturtevant, Development Control/Planning Assistant Date:November 2, 2017 Subject:Chester Village Central Commercial Zone Parking Requirements Prepared By:Garth Sturtevant Date October 19, 2017 Reviewed By:Date Authorized By:Tammy Wilson, CAO Date October 27, 2017 Recommendation Direct staff to prepare a report and draft amendments to the Secondary Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law to implement one or more of the options presented (i, ii, iii, iv,). The report will provide more details for the selected method(s) to address parking and will include draft amendments for consideration by the Village Area Advisory Committee. APPLICANT Council Initiated PROPOSAL Prepare a staff report to review parking standards in the Commercial Zone and options to relax these standards LOCATION Chester Village Planning Area ZONE Central Commercial (C) Zone NEIGHBOUR NOTIFICATION None to date –if general amendment (i.e. all C Zone) no notification of neighbouring properties Application Briefing Page 2 Parking Standards in the Central Commercial Zone October 27, 2017 Background In March 2017, owners of White Gate Inn and Restaurant Inc. applied for a Development Permit to change the use of an existing single unit dwelling to become a licensed lounge. The proposal was also seeking to include two residential (guest room) units on the second floor. As specified in the Land Use By-law, this change of use required 5 new on-site parking spaces. The property owners were unable to provide the 5 required on-site parking spaces so the Development Permit was not issued. In July 2017, the property owners applied for a Variance to obtain relaxed parking requirements for this development. This variance was denied primarily because parking in Chester Village is considered a general issue, common to most properties in the area. The property owners appealed the variance decision and although Council upheld the Development Officer’s decision to deny the variance, Council gave direction to Staff to prepare a report outlining potential options to address parking requirements in the Central Commercial Zone. Subject Properties All properties within the Central Commercial (C) Zone (See Appendix 1). Discussion -Considerations Parking in the Central Commercial Zone in Chester Village has been a longstanding concern as the area is generally comprised of small lots with few options for off-site parking.Similar to many other traditional commercial areas,many buildings take up a large percentage of the lot area, leaving little space to accommodate on-site parking. Many of these structures predate the current Land Use By-law and therefore, were not subject to the current on-site parking requirements at the time of construction. The lack of available land area combined with a relatively high parking standard can result in outcomes that limit or restrict the development potential for new uses or the expansion of existing permitted uses. Parking Minimums Parking minimums are created and promoted through planning policies in order to ensure that new and existing land uses do not create an undue burden on a community by increasing vehicular traffic without also planning to accommodate this increased traffic.Historically, Municipalities have adopted increasingly stringent parking standards that require more on-site parking,in addition to higher standards for parking spaces. This has resulted in more land being required to accommodate parking, leaving less for structures and open space. More recently, this trend is beginning to reverse across North America with Villages, Towns and Cities now encouraging alternate forms of transportation such as; public transit, walking, cycling and ride sharing which all help to reduce the need for parking in the commercial core. Within Chester Village, it has been noted that the existing parking standards within the Land Use By-law may prevent new developments from being permitted as envisioned, deter the expansion of existing developments and/or create an overabundance of parking. In many cases, stringent parking requirements are not practical as Application Briefing Page 3 Parking Standards in the Central Commercial Zone October 27, 2017 developments located in these areas do not always have the space to provide the required amount of parking. In recent years, municipalities have been moving away from minimum parking requirements; avoiding excessive amounts of parking to make better use of land and create more vibrant and engaging communities.Reducing parking standards may allow for the expansion of existing businesses. This may take the form of additions to buildings or the creation of exterior spaces which are incorporated into the commercial business (ie. Patio’s, decks, gardens etc.).By lowering parking standards and avoiding the creation of large, unnecessary parking lots, community character and scale are more easily preserved. The creation of large, open, paved or gravel parking areas in a commercial core should be avoided when possible. Existing Parking Regulations in Chester Village The Chester Village Area Land Use By-law requires a certain number of parking spaces based on the type of land use and the number of dwelling units, suites/rental units, seats, boats or square footage in a development. 14.2.2 Number of Parking Spaces Required No development permit shall be issued for any development unless on-site parking having unobstructed access to a public street shall be provided and maintained in conformity with the following schedule: Type of Use Required Parking i) Residential buildings containing not more than four (4) dwelling units One (1) parking space for each dwelling unit ii) Residential buildings containing five (5) or more dwelling units One and one-quarter (1.25) spaces for each dwelling unit iii) Hotels and motels, and other accommodations for travellers One and one-tenth (1.1) space per suite or rental unit iv) Senior citizens housing One (1) space for each three (3) units v) Churches, Funeral Homes, theatres, halls private clubs, restaurants, lounges, other places of assembly Where there are seats, one (1)parking space for every five (5) seats. Where there are no seats, one (1) parking space for each 9 sq. m. (100 sq. ft.) of floor area devoted to public use vi) Offices One (1) space for every 28 sq. m. (300 sq. ft.) of floor area vii) Industries One (1)space for every 93 sq. m. (1,000 sq. ft.) of floor area viii) Warehouses One (1) space for every 278 sq. m. (3,000 sq. ft.) of floor area Application Briefing Page 4 Parking Standards in the Central Commercial Zone October 27, 2017 ix) All other commercial uses One (1) space for every 28 sq. m. (300 sq. ft.) of floor area x) Marinas One (1)space for every berth or anchorage xi) Tour boats One (1) space for every five (5) seats xii) Boat Rentals One space for each boat For existing buildings located in the Central Commercial Zone, no parking is required for the initial 93 sq. metres (1,000 sq. ft) of floor area devoted to the use, except for residential uses, guest houses, hotels and inns. Apart from this exemption, all other land uses in the Central Commercial Zone, and uses in all other zones must conform to the minimum parking standards set in the Chester Village Land Use By-law. Options to Allow Flexibility for Parking Standards in Central Commercial Zone The following concepts can be further explored and analyzed by staff in a report prepared for consideration by the Village Area Advisory Committee and the Citizens Planning Advisory Committee before being brought back to Council for adoption. Most of the proposed concepts could be implemented as stand-alone measures or developed and brought forward as a more comprehensive approach to addressing concerns with parking in the Central Commercial Zone. i)Reduction of Parking Standards for Commercial Zone Properties To provide additional options and flexibility for new business operations within the Central Commercial Zone, Council may wish to consider expanding upon an existing exemption within the Land Use By-law. This exemption currently applies only to existing structures within the Central Commercial Zone which predate the Land Use By-law and exempts the first 93 sq. metres of floor area from providing on-site parking. Language could be added to expand the exemption to effect new structures or alternatively, could completely exempt all structures within the Central Commercial Zone from requiring on-site parking. ii)Municipal Public Parking The creation of a Municipally owned public parking lot is a second option for consideration. This would provide additional parking to complement existing on-street and on-site parking. The placement of this public parking lot should be near or within the Central Commercial Zone to encourage regular use. A well-designed signage program could be installed to alert and guide visitors to the public parking lot. Should http://www.coroflot.com/lyndelbanks/Landscape-Models Application Briefing Page 5 Parking Standards in the Central Commercial Zone October 27, 2017 Council wish to consider this option, staff could research potential locations and work to determine an appropriate number of spaces to provide. iii)Cash-in-Lieu Allowing developers to provide Cash-in-Lieu of on-site parking spaces is one option to reduce the impacts of parking minimums in urban environments.Section 223 of the Municipal Government Act states that a municipality may collect a monetary fee as an alternative to providing on-site parking spaces. The funds collected as cash-in-lieu of parking shall be used to construct or maintain municipally owned parking or transit facilities to serve the immediate area of the development. Cash-in-Lieu provisions would need to specify the number of parking spaces that are able to be purchased rather than created at the site.Cash-in-lieu could be permitted up to a maximum percentage of the total parking required (ie.Up to 25% of required parking spaces may be provided as cash-in-lieu) or allow the entire parking requirement to be provided as cash-in-lieu.A formula for calculating the cash- in-lieu payment would also need to be adopted.The formula would be presented for consideration in a staff report and could be a flat fee or determined for each parking space based on variables such as square footage,assessed value of the land and/or estimated construction costs of developing parking spaces. Working with existing parking regulations, Cash-in-Lieu provides an opportunity for new developments to locate in urban areas and for existing developments to expand where there may not be enough space to develop the required number of on-site parking spaces.This concept could also be adopted in concert with a reduction of the required amount of parking spaces and/or with the creation of a public parking lot. iv)Off-Street Parking to Replace On-Site Parking Currently parking spaces must be located on the same lot as the business or use which require them. Staff could investigate the potential to allow on-site parking to be provided on a separate lot from the business. This option would likely require substantial research in order to determine what mechanisms are available and could be implemented to ensure that these off-site parking locations are maintained for the life of the business, used only for the business which created them and are protected legally should the property be sold or modified in the future. Mechanisms to address the loss of this parking would also need to be researched to determine,in such a scenario,whether development permits would be deemed invalid and revoked if the off-site parking spaces are lost.Legal advice on what agreements or requirements the Municipality may require and enforce in these situations will likely also be necessary. v)Metered Parking in Commercial Core Another option for consideration is the installation of metered parking within designated commercial areas. The introduction of parking meters, especially if introduced in combination with the creation of a Municipal public parking lot, could help alleviate parking shortages. Metered parking will generally discourage local business owners, residents and employees from occupying street parking for long Application Briefing Page 6 Parking Standards in the Central Commercial Zone October 27, 2017 periods of time, particularly if free public parking is available nearby. This helps open up street parking for shoppers and visitors which is generally beneficial to businesses. If this approach appeals to Council, further research would be required to determine who has the authority to install meters, how to handle enforcement measures and the potential to allow businesses to validate parking for customers as an incentive. Relevant Policy Identification The following policies have been identified within the Chester Village Secondary Planning Strategy regarding requirements to provide on-site parking: Policy 4.9.1 That use-specific parking standards are established in the Land Use By-law, and where developments are permitted by development agreement or site plan approvals, the agreement shall make provision for adequate parking to serve the development proposal. 4.9.2 That due to the density of development in the central Commercial area, the use-specific parking standards established by Policy 4.9.1 are waived for the first 92 sq. metres (1,000 square feet) of floor area within existing buildings in the Central Commercial Zone except for residential uses, guest houses, hotels, and inns. 4.9.3 That the Land Use By-law establishes maximum height limitations and minimum yard requirements in each zone so as to provide for separation between adjacent buildings as well as between buildings and lot lines, for adequate fire separation, emergency vehicle access, on-site parking, maintenance of buildings and land, private outdoor space, solar exposure, air circulation, separation of land uses to reduce land use conflicts, and preservation of the character of the various neighbourhoods within the planning area. Options 1.Direct staff to prepare a report and draft amendments to the Secondary Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law to implement one or more of the options presented (i, ii, iii, iv,v). The report will provide more details for the selected method(s) to address parking and will include draft amendments for consideration by the Village Area Advisory Committee. 2.Direct staff to research and present a report on other parking options not presented in this Request for Direction. 3.Direct staff to take no further action. No follow-up report will be prepared and no changes will be made to the existing parking standards. Valley Rd Pig Loop Rd Union St D u k e S t Q u e e n S t Tremont St Regent St Pleasant St Main St W a t e r L a n e C e n t r a l S t Victoria St K i n g S t W a t e r S t P e t e r s o n D r P r i n c e S t 4 4 °3 2 '3 0 "N 4 4 °3 2 '3 0 "N Rev.:Date:Description: MUNICIPALITY OF THEDISTRICT OF CHESTER Central Commercial Zone Properties Created: 2017-09-27Updated: 2017-10-20 Sources:Digital Base Map Data from Service Nova Scotia andMunicipal Relations Prepared by the Municipality of the District of Chester Coordinate System/Datum: UTM NAD83 CSRSZONE 20N Map Disclaimer:Information shown on these drawings is compiled fromnumerous sources and may not be complete oraccurate. The Municipality of the District of Chester isnot responsible for any errors, omissions or deficienciesin these drawings. Actual Map Size: w 8.5" x h 11" Legend StreetsBuilding FootprintsPropertiesC Zone Properties 90 0 9045 Metres Representation of "Enter Description Here"Scale: 1:12,500,000 Scale: 1:4,000