Zoning Bylaw Review

Zoning Bylaw does not currently have bicycle parking requirements. The draft Zoning Bylaw introduces minimum bicycle parking standards for the following types of new development:

• Multi-Unit Residential (Apartment and Townhouse);

• Commercial;

• Industrial; and

• Institutional (Schools, Hospitals, Community Centres).

There are two types of bicycle parking proposed:

• Short-term parking in the form of bicycle racks within close proximity to a building’s entrance.

  

• Long-term parking in the form of a secure room within a building that contains bicycle racks or lockers.

  

The proposed change would require a certain number of short-term and long-term bicycle parking stalls based on the type and size of the development.

For example:

• A typical 50 unit apartment building would be required to have 12 short-term bicycle parking stalls and a room within the building that contained 1 locker or rack per unit.

• A typical 25 unit townhouse project would be required to have 8 short-term bicycle parking stalls and 1 rack installed in the garage.

Do you have any questions or comments on the proposed Bicycle Parking rules?

The Zoning Bylaw does not currently have Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station requirements. The draft Zoning Bylaw introduces minimum EV charging station requirements for the following types of new development:

• Multi-Unit Residential (Apartment)

• Commercial

• Industrial

• Institutional (ex. school, hospital, community centre)

There are four types of EV charging stations:

• Level 1 charging uses a standard house plug (found in many garages already) and provides the slowest charging. Typically used for overnight charging at home or all day charging at work.

• Level 2 charging uses a dedicated 240V circuit, like the one used for a clothes dryer. In addition to being installed at home and at work, Level 2 charging stations are commonly found in public locations where people spend a couple of hours, such as a community centre.

• Level 3 charging are usually located along major transportation corridors. They provide a much stronger charge at a faster rate, providing about 80% charge in half an hour. Not all electric vehicles can plug into a Level 3 charger.

• Tesla Superchargers are fast charging stations only compatible with Tesla vehicles.

The proposed change would require 100% of parking stalls in certain types of development to be Level 2 roughed-in. Level 2 roughed-in means the installation of basic electrical equipment during building construction to allow for later installation of a charger. Additionally, 10% of stalls would have a Level 2 charger installed at building construction.  

Do you have any questions or comments on the proposed Electric Vehicle Charging Station rules? 

Interested in what other places require for EV charging stations? See the chart below:

The Zoning Bylaw requires new developments to build a minimum number of parking spaces. The District is proposing reduced parking requirements to help achieve the Official Community Plan's goals of long-term sustainability, and bring our rules in-line with other municipalities. In most cases, the District requires significantly more parking for new office, retail, restaurant, institutional and apartment development compared to other municipalities.

Additionally, excessive parking requirements can reduce the economic viability of development, particularly rental and affordable apartment units, making it less likely for a developer to build them. In many cases, a surface parking stall can cost between $10,000 to $25,000 per stall to build. In the case of parking stalls in a parkade, it can be as much as $30,000 to $45,000 per stall to build. There are a number of reports available in the documents section that discuss this in more detail. 

Proposed reduced parking standards include:

• Studio and 1 bedroom rental apartment units from 1.5 spaces per unit per to 0.75 spaces per unit; 

• 2 bedroom + strata units would remain the same at 1.5 stalls per unit
  

• Affordable rental units on all sizes would be reduced from 1.5 stalls per unit to 0.5 spaces per unit; and

• Visitor space requirements would remain the same at 1 visitor stall per 5 units.

• Commercial development (ex. office, retail and restaurants)

• Institutional (ex. community centres, school, hospitals)

Do you have any questions or comments on the proposed parking standards for Apartments, Commercial and Institutional development rules?

Density bonusing is a zoning tool that allows a municipality to ask for a ‘significant community benefit’ from a developer in exchange for allowing them to build additional density;

A ‘significant community benefit’ should not be confused with standard District requirements that all developers must provide such as road, sidewalk, water or sewer main improvements. A ‘significant community benefit’ is something over-and-above any minimum District requirement.

Many municipalities have a density bonus program and ask for a wide variety of community benefits, such as:

• Market Rental Apartments;

• Affordable Rental Apartments;

• Energy Efficient Buildings;

• Low cost office space for non-profit groups; and

• Public Art.

The District does not currently have a density bonus program;

The District is proposing a modest density bonus program to start. This program involves allowing a developer to build additional density, in certain areas, in exchange for building:

• market rental apartments; and/or

• affordable apartment units (as determined by the District’s Affordable Housing Policy).

The proposed density bonus program has three options:

Base Density - Developer could continue to build under the ‘base density’ of the zoning without providing a ‘significant community benefit’:

Bonus Density Level 1 - Developer could build additional density, up to a set limit, in exchange for providing 10% of the units in the development as affordable rental units. The remaining units could be strata or rental units:

Bonus Density Level 2 - Developer could build additional density, up to a set limit, in exchange for building a 'purpose built rental building' with 10% of the units in the development as affordable rental units:

Based on policies within the Official Community Plan (OCP) that have identified these areas for Apartment development, Density bonusing is proposed in four areas:

Downtown (red area):

East and West of Downtown (pink area):

Neighbourhood Centres (purple area):

Attached Multi-Unit Areas (orange area):

*** Note: Some Attached Multi-unit areas in Cedar Valley have been excluded from the proposed density bonus program based on policies within the draft Cedar Valley Local Area Plan. 

You can also view a map of these areas  here.

In most cases, all three options would require public consultation and Council approval of a rezoning application prior to construction. 

Do you have any questions or comments on the proposed Density Bonus rules?

We're looking at ways of reducing the size of new Single Family Dwellings because we heard that sometimes new houses, particularly in the urban area, don't fit into their surroundings and can be large and overbearing compared to their neighbours.

In most areas of Mission, the Zoning Bylaw limits the maximum amount of floor space you can build for a Single Family Dwelling. This is typically called floor space ratio (FSR). The Zoning Bylaw currently excludes floor space in a basement from this calculation, when more than 50% of the basement is underground.

The draft Zoning Bylaw proposes to include basements in this calculation in all circumstances. The end result is that the overall size of the house is reduced. 

Do you have any questions or comments on the proposed way of calculating maximum floor space for Single Family Dwellings?

A Home Occupation is when a business is operated out of the home.

Minimal changes to the Home Occupation rules are proposed.

Some highlights of the current rules include:

• Maximum allowable floor space limits:

  • 186m² (2002 ft²) in rural areas;

  • 140m² (1500 ft²) in Suburban and Rural Residential areas; and

  • 56m² (603 ft²) in Urban areas.

• Maximum number of employees:

  • 5 employees and no more than 3 non-resident employees when the lot is larger than 1.8 ha (4.4 ac);

  • 4 employees, and no more than 3 non-resident employees when the lot is smaller than 1.8 ha (4.4 ac);

  • 3 employees and no more than 2 non-resident employees when the lot is in the Urban area.

• Limit on the number of patrons or students:

  • No more than 10 patrons or students at a time.

• Limit on the retail sales of goods to less than 10m² (108 ft²) of floor space.