Temporary car shelters expected to pop up along an Oak Ridges street this winter

Council adopted a pilot program at its Dec. 9 meeting

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 15

A residential street in Oak Ridges is going to look quite different from other neighbourhoods in Richmond Hill this winter.

Council adopted a pilot program at the Dec. 9 meeting to allow residents on Delphinium Avenue to install temporary car shelters, popularly known as “tempos,” on their front driveways.

Proposed by Coun. Greg Beros, the program permits about 70 houses on the dead-end street to have white or off-white tempos in front of them from Dec. 9 to March 31.

“This street, and its residents with their request, is not putting the larger community at a disadvantage. If this is what they want for their street, I say that’s democracy,” Beros told his council colleagues.

Car shelters are considered “accessory structures” under the city’s bylaw and are not allowed in front yards, his motion reads.

Beros said 87.5 per cent of residents on Delphinium signed a petition in favour of the temporary car shelters because their cars were always parked in the driveways, as they were working remotely amid COVID-19.

Regional Coun. Carmine Perrelli seconded the motion, noting car shelters were very common in Montreal.

Resident John Moore, who doesn’t live on the street, wrote to council, questioning the need to allow car shelters in an area where every home has a two-car garage.

Coun. David West, who raised concerns about safety and driveway blocking, attempted to refer the motion back to staff, but failed to garner enough votes.