'Less and less people want to own a vehicle'
City proposes car-sharing program for condo dwellers
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Friday, March 28 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Recently passed amendments to the city's parking bylaws could pave the way for new condo owners to take part in a car-sharing program.
Amendments to the bylaw, which were approved by a vote of five to one during a city council
meeting on Monday, will reduce the minimum amount of parking spaces that condo developers must build so long as
they provide a communal vehicle to be shared by its tenants.
Jeff Humble, director of planning and development, explained that car-share programs essentially operate as a co-op system, whereby multiple tenants share a single vehicle that is paid for through condo fees.
"Less and less people want to own a vehicle. They just want the ability to use one," said Jeff Humble, director of planning and development, who added that such programs are becoming increasingly common across Canada.
Under the amendments to the bylaw, developers that provide a car for tenants to share would only have to build one parking spot for every eight condo units in the downtown core, while developers in the rest of
the city would have to provide one stall for every six units.
Humble said providing the potential for developers to offer car-sharing programs would reduce their building costs and make it cheaper for younger people to buy their first homes.
"If there are (16) people who want to share two cars, they should be allowed to do that," said Humble.
Coun. Dan Wong said the amendment would allow developers to cater to a new market of potential homeowners.
"They know better what it will take to sell that building," said Wong.
Coun. Adrian Bell introduced a motion to vote on the car-sharing portion of the bylaw separately from four other changes that were included in a list of amendments, citing concerns that the idea had not been debated sufficiently by council.
It was defeated by a vote of four to two, with Moon Son being the only other councillor to support it. Moon Son was the sole councillor to vote against the amendment as a whole.
Although Bell ended up voting in favour of the amendments in their entirety, he expressed concerns that a developer could decide to build a condo with a view to offering a car-sharing program, but that they could renege on that commitment after they have completed construction.
"You now have 16 unit holders who have no car-sharing program and no parking spaces," said Bell.
Humble said the city has the ability to make developers post a performance bond to ensure that they stand by their commitment.
Humble added that the city can create new bylaws to regulate how car-sharing programs are run and implemented, adding that any developer seeking to build a property that would potentially provide car-sharing spaces would still have to apply for development permits.
Further discussions surrounding the regulation of car-sharing programs are expected to take place in the coming months.
