TOareaFan
Superstar
I've raised this issue in the past as well. As long as the city zoning by-law maintains a minimum parking standard, I think it's unfair for places to be charged a tax based on those spaces. I've designed quite a few site plans where the minimum parking space rate was significantly higher than what the client felt was needed.
I smell a few lawsuits as well, especially if there's a discrepancy between what the by-law demands and what the owner feels they need.
While a bylaw might require parking....it does not require "free parking". It is likely that the people who will complain the loudest about the parking levy will be owners of large retail centres who will point to the thousands of parking spots they have, how they are required to have those spots and how if you multiply the daily levy by the number of spots they will be out millions a year. Well, they could start charging for parking, no? Many of them compete with, say, the Eaton Centre....can you park there for free? At the Eaton Centre you may just see a slight increase in parking rates as opposed to the owner dipping into their pocket.