Ottawa city planners are looking at church parking lots as an untapped resource for downtown commuters. A new proposal working its way through city hall would allow churches and other places of worship to legally rent out their parking spaces to office workers, giving congregations a fresh source of income while chipping away at the city's ongoing parking crunch.
Why It's Happening
Many churches in Ottawa sit on large parking lots that are packed on Sunday mornings but sit largely empty the rest of the week — exactly when office workers downtown are hunting for a spot. Under current zoning rules, though, places of worship generally can't lease out that space for commercial parking use, leaving a lot of asphalt going to waste on weekdays.
City staff say updating the zoning bylaw to permit this kind of arrangement is a low-cost way to add parking supply without building a single new structure. It's the kind of practical fix that appeals to a council juggling budget pressures with residents' frustration over scarce and expensive downtown parking.
What It Means for Ottawa
For Ottawa's downtown core and surrounding neighbourhoods, more available weekday parking could ease some of the congestion around office towers, especially as more workers return to in-person schedules. It also gives churches — many of which are dealing with rising maintenance costs and shrinking congregations — a practical way to generate revenue from an asset they already own.
The idea isn't unheard of elsewhere; some cities have long allowed shared-use parking agreements between institutions and businesses. But for Ottawa, this would mark a formal shift in how the city treats parking tied to places of worship, opening the door for churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples across the city to strike deals with nearby employers or parking operators.
What Happens Next
The proposal still needs to go through the usual municipal process, including review and a vote at city hall before it becomes official policy. If approved, individual congregations would still need to decide whether renting out their lots makes sense for them — factoring in insurance, liability, and how it might affect access for their own members and events.
For Ottawa residents who circle the block looking for parking near the office, or who've watched downtown lots charge premium daily rates, the change could offer some relief. It's a small-scale idea, but one that reflects how the city is trying to squeeze more use out of existing infrastructure rather than paying for new parking garages.
Ottawa council watchers should keep an eye on committee agendas in the coming weeks as the zoning amendment moves toward a formal vote.
Source: CTV News
