Markham councillors asked city staff on Tuesday, Feb. 10, to come back with changes to a draft update of the parking rules for new development, after members questioned how far the draft goes in requiring electric vehicle charging.
The city-initiated amendments would update the parking and transportation demand management standards in Markham's comprehensive zoning bylaw, 2024-19. Carl Wong of the consulting firm HDR Corporation presented the draft at an evening public meeting of the Development Services Committee.
Developer says charger rule is premature
Randy Peddigrew of Remmington Group Inc. told the committee it was too early to require EV charging stations at half of all parking spaces, given current adoption rates and the cost, which he said could hurt housing affordability and commercial competitiveness. He said developers that offer chargers voluntarily have seen low uptake, that charging technology is changing quickly, and that wiring spaces to be EV-ready would be a better approach than mandatory chargers.
Evelin Ellison of the South Thornhill Residents' Association asked who would run paid parking and collect the revenue if it were allowed, and how snow would be cleared from paid on-street spaces. She said intensification does not remove the need for many families to own two cars, and she supported more parking at community centres.
What committee members said
According to the meeting minutes, committee members noted that paid parking, municipal or commercial, is not currently permitted in Markham, and that the Markham Village Business Improvement Area does not support paid parking on Main Street Markham.
Members said the draft is too heavy-handed, particularly on EV parking, and worried that writing EV station requirements into zoning could have unintended consequences. Some preferred setting EV requirements case by case during development approvals, while also agreeing that EV infrastructure matters and that planning for it now can save residents and condominium corporations money later.
Councillors also voiced frustration that Main Street Unionville remains in Zone 4 under the parking rules, which they said leads to excessive parking requirements and often forces small businesses to seek costly variances from the Committee of Adjustment. They suggested heritage main streets get their own zones.
Other concerns included under-used bicycle parking, the fire risk of charging e-bikes indoors, and the floor space taken up by shower and long-term bike storage requirements. Members also asked staff to look again at parking requirements for secondary schools and to extend consultation to gather more survey responses.
Next steps
On a motion moved by Mayor Frank Scarpitti, the committee directed staff to prepare a recommendation report for a future Development Services Committee meeting that identifies changes to the draft based on the feedback. Members also asked that the draft be discussed at an upcoming meeting of the city's builder forum.
