My comment pertains to the…

My comment pertains to the changes on MTSA's as cited below.

It's great to see increased densities in MTSA's; HOWEVER, this should also come with a mandated decrease in minimum parking rates within the MTSA's.

Parking is expensive to build, is a constraint on density, and does not promote the use of public transit (the key to an MTSA being transit supportive).

Some towns do not recognize the short walking distance (500 meters) within the MTSA and consequently the viable option of using transit versus using a vehicle. In an extreme case, there is a town that does not count parking spaces in garages of residential dwellings within a defined MTSA. It seems political more than anything.

If a sub-set of the market requires more parking, they have the option to choose an alternative location; it should be the consumer's choice.

I would urge the minister to also mandate reduced parking rates within MTSA's as a means of achieving increased densities and affordability.

Higher Density Around Transit

Changes are proposed to require municipalities to implement “as-of-right” zoning for transit supportive densities in specified areas around transit stations, known as “major transit station areas” (MTSAs), and “protected major transit station areas” (PMTSAs) that have been approved by the Minister.
If passed, the changes would require municipalities to update their zoning by-laws to permit transit-supportive densities as-of-right within 1 year of MTSA or PMTSA approval; if zoning updates were not undertaken within the 1-year period, the usual protection from appeals to the Ontario Land Tribunal for PMTSAs would not apply.