Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations Update
Project Background
The District of Saanich is updating its Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations to reflect modern transportation trends, support sustainable development, and align with housing and mobility goals in the Official Community Plan. The project is currently in Phase 3 Recommendations Development & Feedback.
Contact Us
Adam Smith (Project Manager, Community Planning)
E-mail: off-streetparking@saanich.ca
Helpful Links
- New Policy Framework for Parking Regulations (March 2024)
- Interim Amendments to the Zoning Bylaw (Fall 2024)
- Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations Update - Terms of Reference (February 2025)
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Off-Street Parking and Loading Requirements Flow Chart
- Communications Plan and Engagement Strategy
- Zoning Bylaw
Project Deliverables
Phase 2
Project Overview
The purpose of this project is to comprehensively update and modernize the District of Saanich’s off-street parking and loading regulations based on a review of current best practices, and technical analysis. The goal is to develop a technical and regulatory framework that aligns with Saanich’s strategic policies and objectives, as articulated in the OCP and Strategic Plan.
Modernizing off-street parking and loading regulations will help to reduce the need for parking variances, generate cost savings during development that is often passed on to owners/tenants, improve development application processing times, and support broader community goals around housing affordability, sustainable transportation, and GHG emissions reduction.
Various public engagement methods will be provided throughout all phases of the project, including public surveys, intercept surveys, stakeholder workshops, and website updates.
Project Goals
1. Support the efficient and cost-effective delivery of diverse and affordable housing types.
2. Support business growth and sustainable economic development in employment areas while optimizing land use and the District of Saanich’s transportation network.
3. Reduce development processing times and the number of variance requests.
4. Support the District of Saanich’s mode shift targets, prioritizing walking, cycling, micromobility, and public transit.
5. Reduce GHG emissions and total vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) within the District of Saanich.
Project Timeline
Next Steps
Staff are preparing off-street parking and loading regulations recommendations for engagement, which is anticipated to take place in November 2026. Engagement will take place through an online survey, online webinars, pop-ups and other engagement methods. This feedback will be used to refine the proposed recommendations with final recommendations anticipated to be present to Council in late 2026/early 2027.
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Phases
Phase 2: Research and Engagement - Analysis
In this portion of Phase 2, staff and the consulting team will analyze what we heard through Survey #1 and other engagement activities to develop the Engagement Summary Report No. 1 alongside the Final Background Technical Report.