Know Your Zone

The H13 holding provision has been applied to properties where the draft zoning bylaw proposes to increase the height and density permissions. The holding provision is to ensure that there are adequate and available municipal services (water and wastewater) prior to development proceeding. The purpose of pre-zoning lands to the maximum height and density anticipated in the Official Plan is to reduce the need for a site-specific zoning amendment application.

The City’s sustainability objectives, respect for climate change, protection of the natural heritage system and cultural heritage resources is foundational to all City’s plans, including the Official Plan. The draft zoning bylaw includes several regulations to implement Official Plan policy, such as a minimum percentage of landscaped open space, buffer strips, setbacks, minimum separation distances between buildings, the new Natural Heritage System (NHS) zone that does not permit development, and reduced parking requirements in some areas to promote active transportation and ensure an oversupply of parking and asphalt does not occur.  

In addition, any new development (excluding single detached, semi-detached dwellings and on-street townhouses) are required to go through the Site Plan Control process under Section 41 of the Planning Act. 

Yes existing structures that are in compliance with the current zoning bylaw rules will be allowed to remain. Under Section 1.4 of the new draft zoning bylaw nothing in the bylaw will prevent the use of any land, building or structure that was lawfully used for such purpose prior to the effective date of this bylaw, so long as it continues to be used for that purpose.

The City continuously monitors transportation changes and makes incremental updates overtime to align our policies, plans and regulations with ongoing trends. As part of developing draft parking regulations for the zoning bylaw, our review looked at goals and objectives of the City’s Official Plan, the priorities of the City’s Strategic Plan, the work being undertaken as part of the City’s Transportation Master Plan Update, as well as other City plans and guidelines. In addition, a Guelph Parking Standards Review Phase 2 Discussion Paper was developed by IBI Group to support parking regulation changes. 

The parking discussion paper looked at the City’s existing parking rules, trends in other municipalities, parking standards from the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the results of a parking demand survey undertaken for a range of locations within the City of Guelph to develop recommendations for Guelph’s zoning bylaw.

The Transportation Master Plan Update is exploring transportation options to make Guelph move better and achieve a safe, efficient and reliable system for everyone as the city continues to grow. The master plan update recommends changes reflective of our community vision that balance mobility, environment and efficiency while prioritizing safety and access for all travellers; and explore how new and evolving technologies and travel services will shape the future of transportation in Guelph. 

The Changing Transportation System User City of Guelph Transportation Master Plan Background Paper Series was produced as part of the Transportation Master Plan Update. This paper is part of a series of background papers intended to communicate information, key trends, and concepts to inform the strategic direction for our updated Transportation Master Plan. The paper discusses factors influencing travel behaviour and transportation user trends including changing demographics and the declining popularity of cars.

All of this data helps us develop reasonable parking scenarios for Guelph in the future. 

Intensification areas, known as Intensification Corridors and Community Mixed-use Nodes in the City’s Official Plan, are planned to provide a mix of land uses at higher densities that are transit supportive. Intensification Corridors are directed and oriented toward major roads and are in proximity to transit services. Community Mixed-use Nodes in the long term are designed as urban villages and are to be well served by transit and facilitate pedestrian and cycling traffic. In other words, intensification areas offer more choices for how to get around. The mixed-use nature of intensification areas also offers the potential for shared parking in which spaces needed for daytime use such as a medical office can be used for evening use such as a residence. Justification for the geographic based approach is provided in the Guelph Parking Standards Review Phase 2 Discussion Paper developed by IBI Group.

The number of accessible parking spaces required within intensification areas will not decrease. 

You can see what properties are within these intensification areas by reviewing the online mapping. You will see a (PA) following a zone symbol on a property that has the parking adjustment. 

The proposed parking rates have been recommended based on the Guelph Parking Standards Review Phase 2 Discussion Paper developed by IBI Group. A geographic parking approach has been proposed that slightly reduces parking rates within the City’s intensification areas. These areas are planned to provide a mix of land uses at higher densities that are transit supportive and offer more choices for how to get around. The mixed-use nature of intensification areas also offers the potential for shared parking in which spaces needed for daytime use such as a medical office can be used for evening use such as a residence. 

The Poppy Drive/Kay Crescent/Dallan Drive area is not identified within the parking reduction area. The proposed bylaw slightly reduces the minimum parking requirement for apartment buildings based on the parking demand survey that was conducted in Guelph and adds clarity to visitor parking spaces requirements. Parking rates for on-street and cluster townhouse development remains the same as the existing bylaw requirements except that visitor parking space requirements have been included to add clarity to the bylaw.  

You can see what properties are within these intensification areas by reviewing the online mapping. You will find a (PA) following a zone symbol on a property that has the parking adjustment.

The existing and proposed zoning bylaw regulates the maximum width of a driveway based on a zone and do not allow a sidewalk on both sides of a driveway to be added and parked on. Regulation 5.11.3 (b) of the draft zoning bylaw allows a surfaced walkway within 1.5 metres of the nearest foundation wall provided it is not used for parking. This permitted walkway is intended to lead to the front entrance of the residence and is not large enough to be parked on.

The maximum width of an attached residential garage is aligned with the urban design policies contained within the City’s Official Plan. The draft regulations limit the size to 50% of the dwelling width or a prescribed amount based on the zone and dwelling type, whichever is less. Please see Table 5.8 in the draft zoning bylaw for details. The maximum garage width is proposed to ensure garages do not dominate the street scape in new development and promote eyes on the street.

The requirement for 20% of required parking spaces for apartment buildings and mixed-use buildings to be electric vehicle spaces is a minimum for lots generally within an intensification area (areas identified with a Parking Adjustment (PA) suffix). In addition, a minimum of 80% of required parking spaces for apartment buildings, townhouses (cluster, staked, stacked back-to-back) and mixed-use buildings must provide designed electric vehicle parking spaces. In other words, a parking space designed and constructed to be electric vehicle ready, allowing for the future installation of electronic vehicle supply equipment. Please see draft regulation 5.9 for details. The requirements for electric vehicle parking are a new addition to the zoning bylaw and the ratios have been recommended based on the Guelph Parking Standards Review Phase 2 Discussion Paper developed by IBI Group.

Yes. Although we don’t zone for specific types of households the City does support a range and mix of residential dwelling types to meet the needs of various household types, including multi-generational households. The City continues to place no limits on the number of bedrooms in a primary residential dwelling. In addition, the draft bylaw increases the flexibility of low density residential zones by permitting both single detached dwellings and semi-detached dwelling units as-of-right. One of the low density residential zones also permits duplexes (RL.1). The City is also carrying forward the rules for additional residential dwelling units approved by Council in December 2020. These rules permit an additional residential dwelling unit within a primary residential dwelling (single detached, semi-detached, duplex, on-street townhouse) and within a separate building on the same lot as the primary residential dwelling, where regulations can be met. In effect three residential dwelling units are permitted on the same lot.