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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBYL 01-26 Report to Executive Committee Report Number: BYL 01-26 Date: March 2, 2026 From: Paul Bigioni Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor Subject: Amendment to Traffic and Parking By-law 6604/05 to Create a Paid Parking Lot at 920 Liverpool Road File: L-2200-001-26 Recommendation: 1. That the attached amendment to Traffic and Parking By-law No. 6604/05, (Attachment 1) be enacted; 2. That Council enact the draft amendments to Fees and Charges By-law No. 6191/03 (Attachment 2) to implement a fee of $1.50 per hour to be applied to the municipal parking lot at 920 Liverpool Road; and 3. That the appropriate officials of the City of Pickering be authorized to take the actions necessary to implement the recommendations in this report. 1.0 Executive Summary: The purpose of this report is to request that Council implement paid parking at City-owned parking lot at 920 Liverpool Road, currently underused for municipal purposes. The municipal parking lot is adjacent to the East Shore Community Centre but it is not required by the facility as overflow parking. Instead, the municipal parking lot is used mostly by customers of nearby businesses. Staff propose that parking in this municipal lot be offered for the modest fee of $1.50 per hour year-round, with overnight parking prohibited between 1:00 am and 5:00 am daily. The attached amendments to the Traffic and Parking By-law will set the fee for parking in the lot and will also create an offence for failure to pay. By approving these amendments, Council will enable staff to add the parking lot to the HotSpot service agreement, order and install the required signs and apply to the Ministry of the Attorney General to set the fine for non- payment. BYL 01-26 March 2, 2026 Page 2 2.0 Relationship to the Pickering Strategic Plan: The recommendations in this report respond to the Pickering Strategic Plan Priority of Advance Innovation & Responsible Planning to Support a Connected, Well-Serviced Community. 3.0 Financial Implications: The parking lot at 920 Liverpool Road is currently available for use free of charge. It is generally used by local businesses and residents. Implementation of the recommendations in this report will result in a modest increase in revenue. The cost related to the installation of paid parking signs will be easily absorbed within the By-law's Current Budget for 2026. A revenue estimate of approximately $36,000.00 annually is expected based on observed 50% usage of spots Monday to Friday and minimal usage on weekends. Fees for parking are recommended to be $1.50 per hour. Payment for parking would be administered through the existing service agreement with HotSpot Parking Inc., at a cost of 15% of revenue. This would result in an annual cost of approximately $5,400.00, which would result in net annual revenue of approximately $30,600.00. Revenue from fines for non-payment of parking tickets is not included in this estimate. The cost of enforcement related to this lot will be absorbed within the Current Budget for staffing and will not require any additional resources. 4.0 Discussion: The purpose of this report is to request that Council implement paid parking at a City-owned parking lot at 920 Liverpool Road, underused for municipal purposes. The parking lot is adjacent to the East Shore Community Centre but it is not required by the facility as overflow parking. The parking lot is used mostly by customers of nearby businesses. Lines delineating the parking spaces have recently been repainted and signs have been installed identifying the lot as municipal property and prohibiting parking from 1:00 am – 5:00 am. The creation of a paid parking lot will not be entirely new for the City of Pickering as paid parking already exists at the waterfront area. This lot would not, however, be added to the waterfront parking program because it is located outside the waterfront area, and staff does not propose that parking in this lot be offered free to City residents. To defray maintenance costs, staff propose that parking in this lot be offered for the modest fee of $1.50 per hour. This rate would be charged 7 days per week, 365 days per year for maximum benefit. Parking in this lot would be prohibited between 1:00 am and 5:00 am to allow for any required overnight maintenance and to allow the City to easily determine if any vehicle has been abandoned on the lot. An amendment to the Traffic and Parking By-law is attached as Attachment 1. The City Infrastructure and Community Services Departments support paid parking in this lot because the lot is not required to support a municipal park, facility, or trail/greenspace. Paid parking in this lot will be administered through the City’s existing service agreement with HotSpot Parking Inc., the same company that supports the waterfront paid parking program. BYL 01-26 March 2, 2026 Page 3 The addition of this lot to the HotSpot agreement will not be a cost to the City, however, HotSpot will be paid an amount equal to 15% of parking fees collected. The signage necessary to identify this parking lot consists of four signs costing $60 each. The cost of the signs will be covered by the Current Budget for By-law. These signs will be similar to the waterfront signs with a dedicated QR code enabling payment. Consistent with the Waterfront Paid Parking Program, mobile payment via QR code will be the only payment option. This method of payment has been adopted by many municipalities and is becoming the norm. The cost to offer any other payment options would be prohibitive given the small size and usage of this lot. Parking in the lot will be on a first come, first served basis and the lot may be closed by the City at any time should the need arise. The City will not offer users the ability to book or hold a parking spot. Once a vehicle leaves the lot, whether or not the operator has paid for additional time, the spot becomes available for a new vehicle to park. Below is a chart setting out parking rates charged by area municipalities. The proposed fee of $1.50 per hour can be adjusted in future based on the actual usage of the lot. Municipality Fee Town of Ajax Waterfront only - no other paid parking Town of Whitby $1.10 - $1.65/hour City of Oshawa $1.25/hour Township of Clarington $1.00/hour Township of Brock Overnight lot - $16.27 daily Township of Uxbridge Trail only - $6.00 daily Township of Scugog N/A City of Toronto $1.50 - $6.75/hour Metrolinx/Go Transit lot (Pickering) Free The attached amendments to the Traffic and Parking By-law will set the fee for parking in the lot and will also create an offence for failure to pay. Should Council decide to implement paid BYL 01-26 March 2, 2026 Page 4 parking in this lot, staff will submit a request to the Ministry of the Attorney General to create a short-form wording and set fine of $60.00 for the offence of parking without paying the required fee, all as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The proposed amendments to the Traffic and Parking By-law (Attachment 1) will add these new subsections: Section 17 (3)(a): Any premises, owned or operated by the City of Pickering and signed as a paid parking lot (not including parking lots in the waterfront permit parking area), are hereby designated as municipal parking lots to be used for the paid parking of motor vehicles. Section 17 (3)(b): No person shall park a vehicle in a municipal parking lot identified with signs indicating payment is required without paying the required rate for the privilege of parking in a parking space. The required fee is applicable to any portion of the period of time that a vehicle is parked. The proposed amendment to the Fees and Charges By-law (Attachment 2) sets the hourly parking rate at $1.50. By approving these amendments, Council will enable staff to add the parking lot to the HotSpot service agreement, order and install the required signs and apply to the Ministry of the Attorney General to set the fine for non-payment. While the revenue from this parking lot will not be significant, it will allow for the City to make up some of the associated maintenance costs. Outreach to local businesses: Staff hand delivered a letter to the businesses in the Liverpool Road and Bayly Street area explaining the proposal to charge for parking. Eight letters were delivered in total on December 1, 2025. As of January 19, 2026, only two replies were received. Both replies expressed concern about the impact paid parking would have on their customers. Some local businesses have been using this lot for customer and staff overflow parking. While the concern of the businesses is acknowledged, the proposed parking rates are very low, and staff remain of the view that parking in this lot should not be free. Attachments: 1. Traffic and Parking By-law Amendment 2. Fees and Charges By-law Amendment Prepared By: Jason Litoborski, Division Head, Municipal Law Enforcement Services Approved/Endorsed By: Paul Bigioni, Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor BYL 01-26 March 2, 2026 Page 5 JL:ks Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council By: Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer ________________________________ ________________________________ Attachment 1 to Report BYL 01-26 The Corporation of the City of Pickering By-law No. XXXX/26 Being a by-law to amend By-law 6604/05, as amended, being a by-law to regulate and govern traffic and parking in the City of Pickering. Whereas By-law 6604/05, as amended, provides for the regulation and governance of traffic and parking within the City of Pickering; and And Whereas, it is deemed necessary to amend By-law 6604/05, as amended, to implement paid parking in the parking lot at 920 Liverpool Road, City of Pickering; Now therefore the Council of The Corporation of the City of Pickering hereby enacts as follows: 1. That the following be added as a new Section 17 (3)(a) and the remaining sections renumbered accordingly: Any premises, owned or operated by the City of Pickering and signed as a paid parking lot, not including parking lots in the waterfront permit parking area, are hereby designated as municipal parking lots to be used for the paid parking of vehicles. 2. That the following be added as a new Section 17 (3)(b) and the remaining sections renumbered accordingly: No person shall park a vehicle in a municipal parking lot identified with signs indicating payment is required without paying the required rate for the privilege of parking in a parking space. The required fee is applicable to any portion of the period of time that a vehicle is parked. By-law passed this day of March, 2026. Kevin Ashe , Mayor Susan Cassel, City Clerk _______________________________ _______________________________ Attachment 2 to Report BYL 01-26 The Corporation of the City of Pickering By-law No. XXXX/26 Being a by-law to amend By-law 6191/03 to confirm General Municipal Fees Whereas the Council of The Corporation of the City of Pickering enacted By-law 6191/03, as amended, on October 14, 2003 to confirm general municipal fees. Whereas Schedule “I” to By-law 6191/03 was updated and replaced under By-law, 6338/04, By-law 6519/05, By-law 6652/06, By-law 6677/06, By-law 6748/07, By-law 6819/07, By-law 6857/08, By-law 6951/09, By-law 7032/10, By-law 7119/11, By-law 7194/12, By-law 7268/13, By-law 7339/14, By-law 7411/15, By-law 7478/16, By-law 7542/17, By-law 7605/18, By-law 7679/19, By-law 7740/20, By-law 7823/21, By-law 7890/21, By-law 7918/22, By-law 7983/23, By-law 8005/23, By-law 8008/23, By-law 8017/23, By-law 8022/23, By-law 8065/23, By-law 7982/23, By-law 8074/24, By-law 8119/24, By-law 8140/24; By-law 8148/24, By-law 8157/25, By-law 8158/25, By-law 8191/25, and By-law 8214/25. Now therefore the Council of The Corporation of the City of Pickering hereby enacts as follows: Schedule “I” to By-law 6191/03, as amended, is hereby revised by adding the fee for paid parking lots (hourly rate) as set out in Schedule “I” attached hereto. By-law passed this day of , 2026. Kevin Ashe, Mayor Susan Cassel, City Clerk Draft By-law to amend Schedule “I” to the General Municipal Fees and Charges By-law 6191/03, as amended By-Law & Animal Services User Fee or Charge Paid Parking Lot Fee 2026 Fee N/A New Fee $1.50/hour HST Y