Vancouver City Council has voted to eliminate minimum parking requirements city-wide for all land uses, going beyond new provincial laws that only mandate the removal for small-scale multi-unit housing (SSMUH) and transit-oriented areas (TOAs). Previously, these parking minimums, required outside Downtown and the Broadway Plan Area, often forced developers to build expensive underground parking despite a drop in parking demand due to better public transit.
This decision drastically simplifies the city’s parking regulations, which previously had 63 different categories, speeding up the development approval process. It’s part of the third phase in updating Vancouver’s parking policies, following earlier changes in 2018 and Fall 2023 that removed parking minimums for specific areas and uses.
Developers can still include parking if needed, but accessibility and visitor parking rules remain. The city keeps its Transportation Demand Management (TDM) policy, promoting alternatives like bike infrastructure and car-sharing. Future tweaks to this policy are expected based on new provincial guidelines.
Effective June 30, 2024, this change will likely lead to revisions in many current development applications, requiring new submissions and fees. This reform aims to lower housing costs, speed up development, and support Vancouver’s transportation and climate objectives.
