WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE Parking Study Prepared For: WGD Architects Inc. August 20, 2015
BA Consulting Group Ltd. 45 St. Clair Avenue West, Suite 300 Toronto, ON M4V 1K9 www.bagroup.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION... 1 1.1 Site Location... 1 1.2 Proposed Student Residence... 1 2.0 TNSPORTATION CONTEXT... 3 2.1 Existing Pedestrian Facilities... 3 2.2 Existing Transit Facilities... 3 2.2.1 Local Transit... 3 2.2.2 Regional Transit... 4 2.2.3 Intercity Transit... 4 2.3 Future Transit Facilities... 5 2.4 Existing Cycling Facilities... 5 2.5 Existing Car Share Facilities... 5 2.6 Existing Parking Facilities... 6 3.0 OTHER EXPERIENCE... 7 3.1 245-255 College Street University of Toronto (St. George Campus)... 7 3.2 412 Church Street Ryerson University... 7 3.3 1025-1069 & 1265 Military Trail University of Toronto (Scarborough Campus)... 7 3.4 395-405 Huron Street... 7 3.5 The Quad York University... 7 3.6 McMaster University... 8 4.0 PROJECTED PARKING DEMAND... 8 4.1 Zoning Bylaw Requirements... 8 4.2 Baseline Demand... 8 4.3 Off-site Parking Availability... 9 4.4 Permit Availability... 9 5.0 BICYCLE PARKING... 10 5.1 Hamilton Zoning By-Law 05-200... 10 5.2 Hamilton TDM GUIde for Development... 10 5.3 Bicycle Parking Provisions... 10 6.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS... 11 WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 P:\74\00\02\Report\BA-ParkingStudy-WilliamThomasStudentResidence-Aug20-15-Final.docx
LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Transit Frequency To/From Downtown and McMaster University... 3 Table 2 Transit Frequency To/From Downtown and Mohawk College... 4 Table 3 Zoning By-Law 05-200... 8 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Site Location and Context... 14 Figure 2: Existing Transit Facilities... 15 Figure 3: Existing Cycling Facilities... 16 TABLE OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A: APPENDIX B: Reduced Scale Architectural Plans Downtown Hamilton Parking Garage Study and Parking Garage Assessment (Excerpts from MMM Group Report, 2013) WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 P:\74\00\02\Report\BA-ParkingStudy-WilliamThomasStudentResidence-Aug20-15-Final.docx
1.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION BA Group has been retained by WGD Architects (on behalf of Hi-Rise Group) to undertake a parking study for a purpose-built student residence located at James Street North and Rebecca Street in the historic Lister block of downtown Hamilton. The William Thomas Student Residence is proposed to be a purpose-built student resident building that will be located in the downtown Hamilton area, immediately east of Jackson Square and Hamilton City Centre and within the revitalization area of the historical Lister Block. The subject site is currently vacant, and the proposed development will rebuild the façade of the historical William Thomas building that formerly occupied the lands. 1.1 SITE LOCATION The subject site is an L-shaped property on the southeast corner of James Street North and Rebecca Street. Reduced scale copies of the architectural site plan, ground floor plan and basement floor plan (parking level) are provided in Appendix A of this report. The site location and its context relative to downtown services and major recreational and entertainment centres is illustrated in Figure 1. 1.2 PROPOSED STUDENT RESIDENCE A 19-storey purpose-built student residence is proposed with ancillary at-grade retail that will face James Street North. The building will comprise of 127 units (384 rooms), 232 square metres (2,500 square feet) of at-grade retail, and 23 parking spaces. The proposed parking supply delivers parking to approximately 6% of the total occupants of the building and includes a limited number of spaces for use by staff (1-2 spaces). The proposed building is laid out in a fashion that caters specifically to students. Units are configured with multiple bedrooms. Each unit is furnished with living room furniture and an entertainment centre, a full complement of kitchen appliances (fridge, stove, microwave, dishwasher). Each individually locking bedroom comes furnished with a double sized bed, wardrobe, and desk/chair. The building provides both indoor and outdoor student focussed amenity space that typically includes a fitness centre, computer centre, entertainment centre, patio areas, and WiFi throughout the common areas. The building would contain security facilities / staff located at the front door, as well as on-site management office space and staff, and maintenance floor space and associated staff. The project will be catered to students attending institutions such as McMaster University and Mohawk College and the availability of beds will be made accessible to both schools student housing databases. WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 1
Unlike many private apartment buildings or houses that are rented by students, purpose-built student residences are architecturally configured and outfitted with specific amenities that minimize the amount of personal items that a student needs to bring to their residence and therefore streamlines the move-in (and move-out) operations. Specifically, the units are laid out in a manner that creates personal and secure space for each student (e.g. bedrooms are lockable) along with personal storage space and furniture (wardrobes, beds, desks, and chairs are provided for each student). This reduces the need to bring furniture during the move-in period and thus reduces the complexity of the move-in operation. Furthermore, amenities such as gym equipment in the fitness room, entertainment areas, kitchen appliances, common area furniture within each student unit, also reduces the need for any furniture to be brought to the Site during the move-in periods. All of these purpose specific student residence features of the building and the manner in which it is operated assist in reducing impacts of the move-in (and move-out) operations. Occasional loading and movein/move-out operations will occur in a designated space within the on-site plaza via Rebecca Street. The site benefits from excellent access to public transportation, on-street cycling facilities, and pedestrian connections to a range of land uses, including both McMaster University s downtown and main campus as well as Mohawk College. The site s location, land use type, and recommended mobility strategy is supportive of the contemplated parking supply. Reduced scale copies of the ground floor and parking level site plan drawings submitted to the City of Hamilton are attached in Appendix A. WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 2
2.0 TNSPORTATION CONTEXT 2.1 EXISTING PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES The downtown Hamilton area is a mixed-use high density area with sidewalks and pedestrian shortcuts. Personal and commercial services (restaurants, health clubs, grocery, banking, etc.) are all located within an easy walking distance of the site, most are notably located in Jackson Square directly adjacent the site. A list of some of the nearby services is provided in Figure 1. 2.2 EXISTING TNSIT FACILITIES The site is well served by local (HSR), regional (Coach Canada and Greyhound) and intercity (GO Transit) transit that primarily run immediately adjacent to the site or to/from the nearby Hamilton GO Centre that is approximately 550 metres south of the site. The site is well positioned to take advantage of available services. Existing transit facilities are illustrated in Figure 2. HSR transit passes are included in tuition for full time students at McMaster University, Mohawk College and Redeemer College. 2.2.1 Local Transit Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) operates over 25 bus routes in downtown Hamilton that either have stops immediately adjacent to the site or have stops along King Street, Main Street and the Hamilton GO Centre. Routes 20, 21, 33, and 35 stop at Mohawk College and also serve downtown Hamilton. Routes 1, 51, 5A, 5C, 5E, 10 stop at the McMaster University main campus and also serve downtown Hamilton. TABLE 1 TNSIT FREQUENCY TO/FROM DOWNTOWN AND MCMASTER UNIVERSITY Transit Route Weekday Service Headway AM Peak in Minutes (PM Peak in Minutes) Travel Time, Downtown To/From University AM Peak in Minutes (PM Peak in Minutes) Route 1 10-15 minutes (10-15 minutes) 16 to 17 minutes (16 to 20 minutes) Route 51 7-8 minutes (7-8 minutes) 23-25 minutes (20 minutes) Route 5A, 5C, 5E 3-12 minutes (4-14 minutes) 15-18 minutes (12-18 minutes) Route 10 10 minutes (10-15 minutes) 10 minutes (10 minutes) WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 3
TABLE 2 TNSIT FREQUENCY TO/FROM DOWNTOWN AND MOHAWK COLLEGE Transit Route Route 20 Weekday Service Headway AM Peak in Minutes (PM Peak in Minutes) 30 minutes (30-36 minutes) Travel Time, Downtown To/From College AM Peak in Minutes (PM Peak in Minutes) 8-14 minutes southbound (8-14 minutes southbound) 15-22 minutes northbound (15-22 minutes northbound) 21 15 minutes (15 minutes) 10-11 minutes (10-13 minutes) 33 15-20 minutes (14-16 minutes) 9 minutes (9 minutes) 35 15 minutes (13-20 minutes) 13 minutes (10-14 minutes) Table 1 and Table 2 show that several routes serve downtown and McMaster University and/or Mohawk College. Most routes run on headways of less than 20 minutes and travel times vary from 9 to 25 minutes between downtown and the post-secondary institutions. 2.2.2 Regional Transit On weekdays, GO Transit operates four peak direction trains in the morning and six peak direction trains in the afternoon to/from Hamilton GO Centre and Toronto. Two trains depart the recently constructed West Harbour GO station heading towards Toronto in the morning and two return to the same station during the afternoon peak period. Additional GO Transit buses also operated between Hamilton and Burlington to connect to more frequent twoway service along the Lakeshore West route on both weekdays and weekends. GO Transit bus service also operates several bus routes in addition to the Lakeshore West route to/from the Hamilton GO Centre and various locations in southern Ontario (Niagara Falls, Toronto Express, Oakville, and Mississauga). 2.2.3 Intercity Transit Greyhound and Coach Canada operate frequent intercity bus service to/from the Hamilton GO Centre. WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 4
2.3 FUTURE TNSIT FACILITIES The Site is located immediately adjacent to several high-priority light rail transit (LRT) lines that were identified in the City of Hamilton s Transportation Master Plan (TMP), notably the A-Line and B-Line routings that are identified along the James/Upper James corridor and Main/King corridor, respectively. Metrolinx recently approved the provision of up to $1 billion in funding to build the contemplated B-Line LRT between McMaster University and Queenston Traffic Circle, running primarily along the Main Street corridor. A connection between the existing Hamilton GO Centre and the recently constructed West Harbour GO Station is also proposed along James Street North, immediately adjacent the site (which is a shorter segment of the A-Line proposed in the Hamilton TMP). 2.4 EXISTING CYCLING FACILITIES The site is well served by nearby designated bike lanes and several signed on-street bike routes. Existing and planned routes are illustrated on Figure 3. SoBi Hamilton is a non-profit bike share program that began operations in Hamilton in Spring 2015. The system has approximately 750 bicycles and 100 hubs to pick-up or drop-off a bicycle 24 hours a day. There are several bike share hubs in downtown Hamilton and in the direct vicinity of the site. There are seven hubs on the McMaster University main campus, and one hub at the Mohawk College main campus. 2.5 EXISTING CAR SHARE FACILITIES The site is well served by several car share programs. Downtown car share facilities are identified in Figure 1. Community CarShare, a non-profit car share program has approximately 10 cars located across downtown Hamilton. They also have one car located on the McMaster University main campus and several between downtown Hamilton and McMaster University. Student CarShare, operated by Discount, has five cars located between downtown Hamilton and McMaster University and also has two cars located at Mohawk College. ZipCar, operated by Avis Budget Group, has two cars located between downtown Hamilton and McMaster University. WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 5
2.6 EXISTING PARKING FACILITIES Many of the parking facilities in the downtown area including both privately and publicly owned operate as public parking facilities. MMM Group prepared a review of downtown parking facilities on behalf of The City of Hamilton in 2013 entitled Downtown Hamilton Parking Study and Parking Garage Assessment to provide direction on zoning bylaw standards, the direction of the municipality s role in providing parking downtown, and direction on providing strategically located parking structures or lots into the future. Existing parking supply by lot and block as well as peak parking utilization identified in MMM Group s study are provided in Appendix B. Parking lots identified as providing hourly, daily, and monthly parking rates are also illustrated in Appendix B. WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 6
3.0 OTHER EXPERIENCE In determining appropriate parking rates for the Willliam Thomas Student Residence, recent precedents were reviewed. A summary of some of the sites reviewed is included in the following. 3.1 245-255 COLLEGE STREET UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO (ST. GEORGE CAMPUS) Affiliated with University of Toronto ~ 829 beds 8 9 min walk to subway No student related parking supply provided 3.2 412 CHURCH STREET RYERSON UNIVERSITY Affiliated with Ryerson University, delivered by Canadian Campus Communities ~ 532 beds 5-6 min walk to subway No student related parking supply provided 3.3 1025-1069 & 1265 MILITARY TIL UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO (SCARBOROUGH CAMPUS) Demand surveyed for Parking Considerations Study related to Zoning By-law Amendment Recommended student residential rate: 0.20 spaces / 100 m2 GFA (an effective rate of 0.056 spaces / bed) Parking provided for both residential and non-residential uses as part of the campus-wide parking pool No access to high order transit 3.4 395-405 HURON STREET In close proximity to University of Toronto, delivered by Campus Co-operative Residence Inc. Observed student residential rate: of 0.044 spaces / bed based on demand provided by Campus Cooperative for existing permit operations. Parking provided on-site and leased at nearby commercial public facilities. ±5 min. walk to subway 3.5 THE QUAD YORK UNIVERSITY Approved student residential rate: of 0.05 spaces / bed (the prevailing parking demand at existing York residences is approximately 10%. The lower ratio of 5% was adopted for the new residence as a reasonable alternate minimum parking supply.) Reserved parking provided for both residential and non-residential uses as part of the campus-wide parking pool ±10 min. walk to future subway station (Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension) WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 7
3.6 MCMASTER UNIVERSITY The University Parking Services department estimates that approximately 10% of on-campus student residents seek parking permits. 4.0 PROJECTED PARKING DEMAND 4.1 ZONING BYLAW REQUIREMENTS Student residence is defined under Lodging House in Section 3 of the City s Comprehensive Zoning By-Law No. 05-200. Retail land uses are not specifically defined under the downtown Parking Schedule of the City s bylaw. For comparable reference, the rates for other general commercial uses in the bylaw s Schedule for the Downtown Zone have been reviewed. Required parking spaces are summarized in Table 3 for the Downtown Zone. TABLE 3 ZONING BY-LAW 05-200 Land Use Size Requirement Lodging House 1 space for each 3 persons accommodated or designed for accommodation General Commercial 1 1.0 space for each 50 m 2 GFA in excess of 450 m 2. 384 beds 128 spaces 232 m 2 (2,500 sq. ft.) 0 spaces Notes: 1. General Commercial represents Commercial School, Financial Establishment, Conference/Convention Centre, Medical Clinic, Office, Private Club/Lounge, and Veterinary Service which are all defined in the downtown zone parking requirements. According to the above noted requirements, 128 parking spaces are required for the subject site and proposed uses. Since the proposed building is not a typical condominium or rental apartment, and is designed to be a purpose-built student residence, we have considered the examples in Section 3.0 for reference in establishing a baseline parking demand for the site. 4.2 BASELINE DEMAND Based on the recommended and surveyed parking rates in Section 3.0, the parking rates at comparable student residence sites range between zero and 0.10 spaces per bed, noting that the newly developed residences have been adopting a parking ratio of 0.05 spaces per bed. The site requires 19 parking spaces with the application of 0.05 spaces per bed. The proposed parking supply of 21 parking spaces, 1 barrier free parking space and 1 van parking space exceeds the recommended baseline parking rates. WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 8
4.3 OFF-SITE PARKING AVAILABILITY The City of Hamilton retained MMM Group in 2013 to conduct a Downtown Hamilton Parking Study and Parking Garage Assessment. This study identified the supply, demand, and commercial parking rates (hourly, daily, and monthly) for the entire downtown area and sub areas (blocks) within the downtown. The subject site is located in an area of downtown that observed to have a peak utilization of approximately 70% of an overall 417 spaces. The Jackson Square block, immediately west of the site, was observed to operate at 68% utilization of an overall 1,079 parking spaces that are privately owned public parking spaces. Given the site s proximity to an abundant source of publically available parking, any short term or long term parking need above the baseline demand can be readily accommodated in the nearby area. 4.4 PERMIT AVAILABILITY The City of Hamilton operates a permit parking program that allows residents with limited parking to apply for on-street or structured parking at a municipal lot. Multi-residential buildings are exempt from this permit program. The proposed student residence is also expected to be exempt from this permit program, and would have to seek privately operated parking sources if required in the future. This restriction will prevent occupants of the proposed building from unduly impacting the existing public permit system and existing area resident permit holders. WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 9
5.0 BICYCLE PARKING 5.1 HAMILTON ZONING BY-LAW 05-200 The City s bylaw requires 6 bicycle parking spaces for the proposed Student Residence in downtown. 1 5.2 HAMILTON TDM GUIDE FOR DEVELOPMENT The City of Hamilton Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Guide for Development provides direction on draft bicycle parking requirements to consider for new development. The following residential and retail rates are considered: a. Residential: i. Long Term: 0.50-1.25 spaces / unit ii. Short Term: 0.05-0.20 spaces / unit b. Retail: iii. Long Term: 0.09-0.27 spaces / 100 m 2 (min. 2) iv. Short Term: 0.20 3(+)0.30 spaces / 100 m 2 (min. 2) Application of the above rates requires 64 to 159 long-term residential bike parking spaces and 6 to 25 shortterm bike parking spaces to serve residential uses. Retail uses would require 2 long term bike parking spaces and 2 to 4 short-term bike parking spaces. The above rates were recommended for the TDM Guidelines based on multiple dwelling residential rates in the City of Richmond s Zoning Bylaw and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) Bicycle Parking Guidelines. These documents do not also give direction on rates specifically for student residences and are intended for application to general residential uses. 5.3 BICYCLE PARKING PROVISIONS The William Thomas Student Residence proposes to provide a minimum of 0.50 bicycle parking spaces per bed for residents and 0.05 parking spaces per bed for visitors for a minimum total of 211 bicycle parking spaces. The proposed site plan includes provision for approximately 232 bike parking spaces, provided in a secure room on the ground floor. Approximately 19 spaces are provided outdoors for visitors of the Site. 1 Zoning By-Law 05-200 requires 5% of overall parking requirement to be provided as long term bicycle parking. WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 10
6.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 2. BA Group has been retained by WGD Architects (on behalf of Hi-Rise Group) to undertake a parking study for a purpose-built student residence located at James Street North and Rebecca Street in the historic Lister block of downtown Hamilton. 3. The student residence will be comprised of 384 beds, approximately 2,500 sq. ft. of retail, 23 parking spaces, 232 secure bicycle parking spaces, and 19 short-term bicycle parking spaces. The historic façade of the William Thomas building that formerly occupied the site s lands will be rebuilt along Rebecca Street. Context 4. The site environs offers an environment where public transit and amenities are in close proximity allowing for less need to own a private vehicle. 5. The proposed area bike lanes, signed routes and bike share facilities supports cycling through provision of infrastructure. 6. The subject site is in close proximity to social, cultural and economic amenities that can be accessed by walking. 7. There are several publicly available parking facilities in the vicinity of the site that have available parking for short term usage. Parking 8. Student Residence and Retail land require the following parking standards in the downtown Parking Schedule of the City s bylaw. a. A Lodging House (includes Student Residence uses) in downtown requires 1 space for each 3 persons accommodated or designed for accommodation. The proposed building would require 128 spaces in accordance with this rate. b. Most commercial uses defined in the Schedule for downtown parking zones require 1 space for each 50 square metres in excess of 450 square metres. The proposed building would require no retail parking in accordance with this rate (approximately 232 square metres). 9. Recent research conducted at comparable residences indicates that parking uptake by students in downtown, near campus, and/or in transit supportive environs ranges from zero to 10% of beds provided. New residences have been approved at parking rates of approximately 5% of beds provided. WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 11
10. The parking supply contemplated for the site (23 spaces) provides approximately 6% parking for the number of beds provided and includes some parking for staff purposes (1-2 spaces), which meets the recommended baseline provision of 5%. 11. The proposed development is exempt from the City s permit program. This restriction will prevent occupants of the proposed building from impacting the existing public permit system. 12. Given the site s proximity to an abundant source of publically available parking, any short term or long term parking need above the baseline demand can be readily accommodated in the nearby area. Bike Parking 13. The City s bylaw requires 6 bicycle parking spaces for a student residence (defined as a Lodging House ) in downtown Hamilton. 14. The City of Hamilton Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Guide for Development provides direction on draft bicycle parking requirements to consider for new development. The following residential and retail rates are considered: a. Residential: i. Long Term: 0.50-1.25 spaces / unit ii. Short Term: 0.05-0.20 spaces / unit b. Retail: v. Long Term: 0.09-0.27 spaces / 100 m 2 (min. 2) vi. Short Term: 0.20 3(+)0.30 spaces / 100 m 2 (min. 2) 15. Application of the TDM Guideline rates requires 64 to 159 long-term residential bike parking spaces and 6 to 25 short-term bike parking spaces to serve residential uses. Retail uses would require 2 long term bike parking spaces and 2 to 4 short-term bike parking spaces. 16. The William Thomas Student Residence proposes to provide a minimum of 0.50 bicycle parking spaces per bed for residents and 0.05 parking spaces per bed for visitors for a minimum total of 211 bicycle parking spaces. 17. The bicycle parking provided on site is approximately 232 long term and 19 short term spaces. Recommended TDM Strategies 18. The project will be marketed to students with an emphasis on a car-free lifestyle. Potential tenants will be informed not to expect an on-site parking space. 19. On-site secure short-term and long-term bicycle parking in excess of the minimum requirements is supportive of cycling activity. 20. The proposed site plan supports Travel Demand Management (TDM) through minimizing car parking. WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 12
21. Property management will provide centrally located information on schedules and maps for cycling and transit facilities to increase access and awareness of the available services. 22. HSR transit passes are also included in tuition for full time students at McMaster University, Mohawk College and Redeemer College. Residents of the proposed building will, as such, already be in possession of unlimited access to the local transit system and in close proximity to convenient transportation options making a transit-supportive lifestyle more accessible. WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02 13
APPENDIX A: Reduced Scale Architectural Plans WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02
APPENDIX B: Downtown Hamilton Parking Garage Study and Parking Garage Assessment (Excerpts from MMM Group Report, 2013) WILLIAM THOMAS STUDENT RESIDENCE - PARKING STUDY JULY, 2015 7400-02
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