City council is set to consider an amendment to Delta’s zoning bylaw that would allow residents to park commercial vehicles at their homes, subject to some restrictions.
The change — scheduled for first, second and third reading on Monday, Jan. 20 — would permit up to two commercial vehicles associated with Delta-based “brick and mortar” businesses to be parked on any single-detached or duplex zoned residential lot, so long as each vehicle meets several conditions.
Those condition include that the vehicle does not exceed 5,500 kilograms in gross vehicle weight, that it be licensed and registered to the owner or occupant of the lot, that it be stored or parked without obstructing access to and from the street, that it is an asset of a Delta-based commercial business with a valid business licence that is also owned by the owner or occupant of the residential lot, and that it does not inhibit other parking requirements set out in the zoning bylaw.
Delta's zoning bylaw currently does not allow for the parking of commercial vehicles associated with off-site businesses, but does allow one vehicle associated with a home occupation to be parked on the same lot, provided the vehicle does not exceed 3,000 kg in licensed net vehicle weight or 5,500 kg in licensed gross vehicle weight, whichever is applicable.
The proposed bylaw amendment follows a motion made by Coun. Dylan Kruger and unanimously endorsed by council on Dec. 2, 2024 directing staff to review existing bylaws related to parking commercial vehicles on residential properties and provide a report outlining current restrictions and proposing amendments to allow brick-and-mortar small business owners to park their commercial vehicles on their private residential properties when needed, subject to “reasonable limits” on vehicle weight and size.
A note by city staff accompanying Kruger’s motion said a scan of other cities’ bylaws found that Delta's provisions regarding the parking of commercial vehicles in residential zones are consistent with other municipalities in the region.
“So far in 2024, the Property Use and Compliance Department has received 16 complaints of overweight vehicles being parked on residential lots and 78 complaints of overweight vehicles being parked on residential streets contrary to current regulations,” the note reads.
Kruger’s “Supporting Small Business Owners in Delta” motion came after the owner of Cookie's Ice Cream in Ladner, Brooke Alexander, posted on Facebook in mid-November that a neighbour had complained to the city about her company's ice cream truck being parked in her home's driveway.
"Unfortunately, even though this truck brings more joy (and treats!) to our community than headaches, we’ve been given until Nov. 15 to move it," Alexander said in her post.
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Many residents offered support via comments on Alexander's post, noting branded company cars, work trucks and large personal vehicles like RVs and boats are parked in residential driveways all over town without issue.
In a reply to one comment on her post, Alexander explained that, based on what a city bylaw officer told her, the enforcement was triggered by her neighbour’s complaint and that parking the ice cream truck at her home would otherwise be "a non-issue like it has been the last two years."
Alexander did subsequently manage to find a temporary place to park the truck.
Speaking to his motion on Dec. 2, Kruger said small businesses are the heartbeat of the community, adding that council should be “getting the basics right and supporting them, not overthinking things, and allowing for some common sense in the application of our bylaws.”
"I'd like everyone to imagine for a second that you're a family-owned-and-operated small business owner in our community, you poured your heart and your soul — and your life savings in many cases — into your company, you took the risk and you're finally fulfilling your dreams, only to come up against roadblocks and read tape at city hall, stifling the growth of your business. That's exactly what happened in [this] case,” Kruger said.
“This truck wasn't jutting out onto the sidewalk, it wasn't blocking the road; in fact, it was such a small truck that the family was able to park their own two personal family vehicles in front of the truck and still those vehicles didn't touch the sidewalk or the road,” he continued.
“I just fundamentally believe that city hall should be supporting and lifting our small businesses up instead of tearing them down or regulating them into oblivion. So this is a motion that I hope will allow for some common sense in our bylaws enforcement and allow local businesses like Cookie's Ice Cream in Ladner to park their own vehicles on their own private property."
Residents can submit feedback on the proposed bylaw amendment by emailing mayor-council@delta.ca or sending a letter (addressed to mayor and council, City of Delta, 4500 Clarence Taylor Crescent, Delta, B.C., V4K 3E2) by 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 17.
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