Proposed LUB refresh: Less Car Storage = More Room for Humans
Medicine Hat's Proposed Land Use Bylaw Isn't Out to Get Your Truck
Let me tell you about a street in Steveston, BC. It is called a "Highway" but it is really just a busy road.
Steveston Hwy Richmond BC - Courtesy of Google Maps Street View
No on-street parking.
Driveways face it.
Garages open onto it. Every single day, people back out into fast traffic and pray.
Nobody planned it that way. The street was built before everyone had two cars. Now it is a hazard. And there is no easy fix.
They have slowly adjusted as old homes get torn down for new developments that go up in their place. There are still homes that have a challenge getting onto the road safely.
The City of Medicine Hat is trying not to make the same mistake.
The city is doing a Land Use Bylaw Refresh (Bylaw 4853-2026). Before you grab your torch and pitchfork, no - it does not ban cars. It does not track your movements. It is not a secret plot to trap you in a "15-minute city."
The refresh tackles a bunch of things - halfway houses, flood zones, why a four-storey apartment should not just land in the middle of a quiet street. But one piece has car lovers sweating: parking. Or as some call it, car storage.
Parking Spots Aren't Free
Medicine Hat Transit Parkade Apr 2024 Owl News
Here is what a parking spot actually costs to build - and what it adds to the rent every month.
Even the cheapest spot - $50 a month - does not sound like much. But for someone on a limited income that is the difference between making rent and not.
Now multiply that by 50 units in an apartment building. $2500 just for parking. (50 heated underground spots would be $20,000 /month) Every tenant pays for that, even the tenants who do not own a car.
Created by Kelly Allard May 4 2026
"Just Rent Out Your Spot" - Yeah, Good Luck
Some people say: "If you don't have a car, just rent your parking spot to someone else."
Sure. And then:
Find a renter (work)
Collect payment every month (good luck)
Chase them when they stop paying (fun)
Get them towed when they ignore you (try doing that yourself sometime)
Most tenants will not bother. The spot just sits empty. Wasted concrete. Wasted money. Wasted space.
That is not a solution. That is a headache nobody needs.
What the New Bylaw Actually Does
The new rules do three boring, sensible things:
It lets developers build less parking - especially near bus routes or in the downtown core. That means lower construction costs, which could mean lower rent (if the savings are passed on).
It requires new buildings to be designed so nobody backs out onto a busy road - you must have a turning space or alley access. Imagine that: no more praying and reversing into traffic.
It creates different zones for different densities - low, medium, and high. So a four-storey apartment building does not just land in the middle of a single-family street with no warning.
None of this bans your pickup.
None of this takes away your driveway.
None of this tracks where you go.
Common Sense Isn't a Conspiracy
Backing out of a driveway onto a busy street is objectively dangerous. The new rules say: "Don't design buildings that way anymore." That is not a war on cars. That is common sense.
And if you are worried about affordable housing - and you should be - forcing every new apartment to include parking for every unit is a great way to make sure low-income renters cannot afford to live there.
The Bottom Line
Medicine Hat is not becoming some far-off city. But we can learn from our own mistakes - like Steveston.
You can own a car and still have a walkable neighbourhood. You can store your vehicle without making it the centre of the universe.
The Land Use Bylaw refresh is not a conspiracy. It is a recognition that car storage is expensive, and humans need the space more.
Tonight, Council gives first reading to the Land Use Bylaw Refresh. That is just a procedural step - no debate, no public hearing. The real opportunity to speak comes later, likely at the June 1 Council meeting. Between now and then, you can email written comments to clerk@medicinehat.ca. Or you can show up in person at City Hall or join remotely via Microsoft Teams to deliver five minutes of oral remarks. When the agenda is published, you will find it here.
