Re: 101 and 105 Champagne: Building 2 Parking Requirements Study

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1 November 13, OUR REF: Ashcroft Homes 18 Antares Drive Ottawa, Ontario Canada, K2E 1A5 Attention: May Pham, M.U.P Development Planner Dear May: Re: 101 and 105 Champagne: Building 2 Parking Requirements Study 1. Introduction The proposed development at 101 and 105 Champagne Street is comprised of two student apartment buildings. The first building, which is under construction, contains 188 dwelling units. As a result of the Committee of Adjustment approval and the previous zoning by-law amendment, Building 1 requires 31 surface parking spaces comprised of 16 resident spaces and 15 visitor spaces. The parking supply rate was 0.08 spaces per dwelling unit and the visitor rate was spaces per dwelling unit after the first 12 units. With regard to bicycle parking 47 spaces are required by By-Law and 140 spaces were proposed. The second building, which is the subject of this Site Plan Application and Zoning By-Law Amendment, is depicted in the Figure 1: Site Plan. The proposal is for 352 apartment units on the west half of the site where Building 1 surface parking was initially proposed. As almost all of Building 1 and Building 2 parking will now be provided in a five level parking garage beneath Building 2, the current Site Plan Application needs to revisit/address the overall parking requirement for the site as a whole. Buildings 1 and 2 combined now have 127 below grade parking spaces and 4 surface parking spaces for a total of 131 spaces. With regard to site traffic generation, it is noteworthy that for the 2011 Transportation Overview and subsequent Addendums prepared for the preceding OPA and ZBA s for this site, a 330 unit condominium project was assessed. Its projected peak hour traffic generation was estimated at approximately 55 vph two-way total, and its 175 parking spaces were to be accessed by a twoway driveway located adjacent to south property line. This volume of site-generated traffic was subsequently incorporated into all future traffic analysis for other development projects/studies in the area. As the current proposed student apartment building project (two buildings) for this site will not generate as much traffic as the previous proposed condominium (only 131 parking spaces are proposed) and as the garage driveway continues to be proposed at the site s south boundary, no additional off-site traffic analysis is required/proposed. It is noteworthy that the current plan includes 370 m 2 of ancillary retail, which is proposed to be a convenience/café/food mix to serve residents of the site and from other adjacent high-rise condo buildings. As these patrons will be predominantly walk in/cycle in or pass-by, very little, 1 P age

2 Figure 1: Site Plan 2 P age

3 if any, destination vehicle traffic is anticipated. As such, little if any new peak hour vehicle traffic is anticipated with regard to the retail uses. Based on the foregoing, this report addresses only the project s parking supply and on-site circulation. 2. Parking Supply Analysis As directed/approved by the Committee of Adjustment, the residential parking requirement for the 188 unit Building 1 was revised to 0.08 spaces per dwelling unit, resulting in 16 spaces for residents. The visitor parking rate was spaces per dwelling unit after the first 12 unit, resulting in 15 spaces for visitors (in accordance with By-law No ). With Building 2 approval now being sought prior to Building 1 being complete, and as it will displace the proposed 31 surface parking spaces, a new parking supply strategy is required. The current proposal is to provide a total of 131 parking spaces for 540 ( ) student apartment rental units. Of this total, 99 are standard spaces in the garage and 4 are standard spaces on the surface located between Buildings 1 and 2. The remaining 28 garage spaces in the garage are smaller width (2.4 m) due to column and wall locations. The following Table 1 provides the proponent s assessment of the proposed development s parking space requirements and proposed parking space supply broken down by residential units, visitors and retail. Table 1: Parking Supply Summary Category m2 Required Rate Resident Parking Spaces (min) Visitor Parking Spaces (min) Retail Parking Spaces (min) 0.5 spaces per dwelling unit spaces per dwelling unit after the first 12 units Calculation (540 dwelling units) Proposed Spaces (0.22 spaces per dwelling unit) (Included in the above 120 spaces) 110 A retail use requires no parking spaces for the first 150 m2 of gross floor area and 2.5 per 100m of gross floor area over 150m In review Table 1, the following should be noted: The proposed residential parking supply rate for Building 1 & 2 is higher than that approved for Building 1 (0.22 spaces per dwelling unit vs 0.08 spaces per dwelling unit); Visitors parking is proposed to be included in the residential parking of 120 spaces. Aside from the surface parking, all underground parking will be rented long-term or short-term as required. Since 44 visitor spaces are required as per the By-law, a variance to the Zoning By-law is required; Retail spaces are not required given the small-scale of the proposed retail spaces. On street parking is also available; and While a visitor parking variance is required, the supply of 131 spaces exceeds the proposed combined requirements for 120 spaces. As such, the overall parking supply is sufficient, and it is the allocation that deviates from proposed requirements. 3 P age

4 Further to the foregoing, the following are a number of reasons why the proposed reduction in the Zoning By-law parking rates for this site are considered appropriate. Being a student residence building, car ownership and the need for a parking spaces, is far less than for a typical condo building; The buildings are within walking and cycling distance from Carleton University; Being only approximately 330 m from an O-Train station due to the recent construction of the Hickory Street pedestrian bridge, residents and visitors will have excellent access to City-wide transit service that efficiently serves a number of universities and colleges, as well as the downtown core and Byward Market area; The site is adjacent to the Preston Street area which provides dozens of restaurant, bar, and food options for residents; The ground floor retail food store/personal service/convenient retail is oriented to residents of the building and of the adjacent neighborhood. As such the majority of patrons will walk or cycle. Those that drive can park on-street or short term surface parking; A 3.0 m wide multi-use pathway is located adjacent to the site which connects the Citywide bicycle network along the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River; and The By-Law requirement for bicycle parking will be exceeded by 250% (350 spaces verses 135 spaces) given the anticipated high use of this mode of travel by building residents. It is noteworthy, that the City has recently approved a significant reduction in By-Law parking requirements for a number of student resident projects. Examples include projects at 45 Mann, at Laurier/Friel, and 65 Mann and the last two University of Ottawa residence buildings where no parking was provided. It is also noteworthy that the City s recently completed Draft Recommendations from their Review of Minimum Parking Requirements states the following for Area Y, which the subject site is located in (Main Streets and Selected Mixed Use Centers inside the Inner Area). It is also noteworthy that the subject site is very close to a rapid transit station; Exempt ground floor non-residential uses of less than 500 m 2 from the minimum parking requirements. This would mean that the site s ground level retail/service would require no parking; and As per current zoning, all dwelling units in a mixed-use building are exempt from minimum parking rules. With regard to bicycle parking, we are advised the By-Law requirements are for 135 spaces and 350 are proposed. Of these 350 spaces, 322 will be located in basement bike rooms and 28 will be outside a grade. 3. Site Plan There are two site driveway connections to Champagne Avenue. At the north end of the site is an approximate 6.15 m wide two-way at-grade driveway that provides a drop-off/pick-up function to both buildings, provides access to four parking spaces, and accommodates fire access requirements. It is located 0.85 m from the adjacent property line. Adjacent to the four parking spaces the circulation aisle is 6.94 m wide. We are advised by the project architect that the four parking space dimensions meet By-Law requirements and that the driveway accommodates the turn requirements of fire trucks. With regard to how entering vehicles leave the drop-off area, a maneuvering space is provided adjacent to the handicapped parking space (see attachment) to enable a three point turn. As the handicapped space will likely be unoccupied the majority of the time, it can also be used for vehicles to turn around. 4 P age

5 At the south end of the site is the ramp to the parking garage. It is located 0.45 m from the adjacent property line. Its drive aisles are 3 m wide and separated by a minimum 1 m wide raised median. The primary ramp slope is 16% for m with 3 m of 10% transition grade top and bottom. From the top of the ramp to the property line there is 6 m of 2% grade followed by 5.6 m of 1.2% grade down to the road curb. Within the garage, we are advised that the drive aisles are 6.0 m wide (By-Law requires 6.7 m), that the floors have a 5% slope and that the floor to floor ramp have 11% grade. All the parking spaces are a minimum 5.2 m long and 2.6 m wide as per By-Law, except for some spaces which are 2.4 m wide due to column spacing (also permitted by the By-Law). The transportation-related aspects of the Site Plan that do not meet By-Law requirements are: The driveway off-sets from the adjacent property lines; (Private Approach By-Law) The garage circulation aisle width (Zoning By-Law); and The length of 2% grade from the property line back to the beginning of the ramp. Only 6 m are proposed but the By-Law requires 9 m unless it can be demonstrated that a lesser length will also operate safely and acceptably. In our opinion this can be easily demonstrated (Private Approach By-Law). With regard to the first point, the north driveway is adjacent to an open park and the proposed building is set back almost 5 m from the back of sidewalk and 8 m from the curb. As such, there will be excellent visibility of the sidewalk and street when vehicles exit the site, and as the driveway offset from the property line is greater than 0.3 m, the proposed design is considered acceptable. It is also noteworthy that this driveway connection will carry very low traffic volumes throughout the day. With regard to the south ramp connection to the garage, as shown in the Figure 1: Site Plan, there is significant at-grade open space on the developed site to the south, and as the subject building is set back almost 5 m from the back of the sideway and 8 m from the curb, there is excellent visibility for vehicles exiting the garage as they approach the sidewalk and road. As such, this ramp connection is also considered acceptable. With regard to the proposed 6.0 m wide circulation aisle width, the location of structural columns prevents it from being 6.7 m. Given the relatively small number of parking spaces (127), the expected low turnover, and low peak hour vehicle trips, a 6.0 m wide aisle is considered acceptable. With regard to the design of the garage ramp, given the aforementioned offset of 6 m of 2% grade from the top of the ramp to the property line, followed by 5.6 m of 1.5% grade to the curb, exiting vehicles will have good visibility of pedestrians on the sidewalk and of vehicles on the road. As such, it is out opinion that the proposed design will result in safe conditions and the proposed ramp design is recommended as acceptable. Regardless, Site Plan Approval or a variance will be required. (Private Approach By-Law) 4. Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations Based on the foregoing analysis, the findings, conclusions and recommendations of this report are as follows. Building 1 is under construction and the City approved parking rate for residential parking was 0.08 spaces/unit and the visitor parking was spaces per dwelling unit after the first 12 units. For 188 apartment units, this translated to a total of 31 parking spaces: 16 for residents (variance) + 15 for visitors (by-law). For the combined Building 1 and 2, 131 legal conforming parking spaces are proposed for 540 apartment units. However, only 120 parking spaces are proposed to be required for 5 P age

6 residential and visitor uses. For two apartment buildings of 188 and 352 units, the resultant rate is 0.22 spaces per unit, which is significantly more than the City-approved rate for Building 1. The reduced parking supply rate compared to the By-Law requirement is rationalized based on a combination of: the draft recommendations in the October 2015 Zoning By- Law Review of Minimum Parking Requirements, the project being a student residence with low car ownership; the project s close proximity to amenities, rapid transit, City-wide MUP s; and excellent rapid transit services to City-wide universities and colleges; and the high number of proposed on-site bicycle parking spaces, and the services/convenience retail patrons being primarily site or local residents walking/cycling to these amenities; and The site s driveway location and design and the layout of the below grade garage are all considered to operate safely and are acceptable, although variances will be required for the reduced circulation aisle width (Zoning By-Law) and the reduced length of 2% grade back from the property line to the garage ramp (Private Approach By-Law). Based on the foregoing, the proposed Site Plan is recommended from a transportation perspective. Please call if you have any questions. Sincerely, Ronald M. Jack, P.Eng. Vice President Transportation Manager Ottawa Operations 6 P age

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