Edmonton city council has approved significant changes to parking requirements for child-care centres, aiming to reduce barriers and encourage more facilities in neighbourhoods across the city. The vote on Tuesday was 11-2, with councillors Thu Parmar and Karen Principe opposed.
New parking rules for daycares
Under the amended zoning bylaw, a child-care centre now needs only one parking space for every 10 children it is licensed to serve. Previously, facilities were required to provide two spaces for the first 10 children and one additional space for each subsequent group of 10 children. The requirement is further reduced by half if there is unrestricted on-street parking available in front of the facility.
For example, a daycare with capacity for 40 children would need just two parking spaces if located on a street with free on-street parking, or four spaces if street parking is not permitted. The change is designed to make it easier and cheaper to open child-care centres in residential areas.
Permitted in more zones
Daycare centres are now allowed in 17 of the city's 'special area zones,' which include areas such as Rossdale Flats, the vicinity of the Muttart Conservatory, and the Fort Edmonton Park zone. These zones previously had restrictive rules that limited child-care development.
Mayor Andrew Knack supported the move, stating: 'For the longest time daycares have been too restricted. People had to drive to a daycare outside their community because they weren’t able to have one in their community.' He added that having child-care spaces within walking or biking distance reduces traffic and parking congestion.
Remaining restrictions
Despite the changes, some requirements remain in place. Daycares are still prohibited next to industrial or major utility uses, have a maximum floor space of 300 square metres, and must include an outdoor playspace. Additionally, child-care centres are limited to corner lots unless they are adjacent to a non-residential building.
Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz, who championed the changes, argued for further deregulation. 'There’s still too many barriers to set up a daycare in too many places,' he said. 'We need to make it more permissible to have child care in many more places.' Janz noted that allowing daycares mid-block would be a logical next step.
Impact on communities
Council’s decision comes as Edmonton has more than 800 licensed child-care facilities. The changes aim to increase that number by reducing red tape and making it financially viable to open centres in neighbourhoods where they are most needed.
'The more we can allow child care to set up where the children are, the less likely we are to have traffic and parking issues,' Janz said during the meeting. The revised bylaw is expected to encourage more operators to establish daycares in residential areas, giving families more local options and reducing the need for long commutes.
