Churches and other places of worship in the downtown core and near transit stations could be allowed to rent out parking spaces as the City of Ottawa prepares for an influx of federal public servants on the roads this fall. As part of the City of Ottawa’s 48-point plan to keep commuters moving, the city is looking at optimizing existing parking spaces for commuters in the downtown core and near transit stations. There have been complaints about a lack of parking spaces in the downtown core after public servants were required to be in the office a minimum of four days per week. A report for the planning and housing committee meeting on Wednesday recommends an amendment to the Zoning Bylaw to allow churches, mosques and places of worship to rent out parking spaces this fall and winter. If approved, places of worship in the downtown core and within 600 metres of O-Train stations and bus rapid transit would be allowed to offer parking spaces for rent on their property. “The proposed Zoning Bylaw amendment authorizes parking lots as a principal use on identified properties on a temporary basis,” staff said in a report. “This will allow affected properties to lease spaces in their existing parking lots for commercial purposes to accommodate an anticipated increase in traffic this fall.” Staff note many places of worship have “large parking lots to accommodate peak weekend attendance; these parking lots may be underutilized during weekday business hours.” The report says a business licence would not be required for places of worship to make parking spaces available to the public. Six City of Ottawa facilities would also be allowed to offer parking spaces for rent this fall. The parking spaces at city facilities would be available through the city’s existing parking services system. The new parking rules would be in effect until March 31, 2027.
