“There is no room on the street or very little to park your car,” said Conley.

Hamilton has a bylaw that requires a minimum of 40 per cent on-street parking within a development, which means, said Conley, one street can have a lot of parking, while another has limited parking because of the style of a house.

“It just seems to be the way (surveys are) being built,” he said. “It’s not a good thing.”

Planning staff said parking can be complicated because residential developments can be a series of mixed uses with town houses, single family and other styles all within the same project.

“We look at it holistically,” said Steve Robichaud, director of planning. “We are really trying to avoid that situation in the final phase (of the project).”

He said the rate of car ownership is increasing, forcing people to park their vehicles almost anywhere they can, including public parking lots.

“That is one of the design challenges we are responding to,” he said.

Staff said they will examine on-street parking in residential neighbourhoods to see if something can be done.

The new parking sizes will be incorporated into new commercial, mixed use and residential projects. Staff said those new parking requirements could be subject to appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board.

Suzanne Mammel, executive officer of the Hamilton Halton Home Builders Association and Graham McNally, chair of the Hamilton/Burlington Society of Architects both opposed the new parking lot sizes.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the dimensions,” said Mammel, who wanted time to discuss the issue with planning staff.

McNally said by expanding parking spaces’ sizes, developments will lose economic benefits with reduced “return on investment.”

Politicians will vote on the committee’s recommendations at their May 24 council meeting.