Ottawa driveway rental website hits snag

Two Ottawa entrepreneurs who want to help homeowners rent out their unused driveways have had their plans sidelined by city hall.

Business student Scott Hallum and his brother John recently created a website calledparkinmydriveway.com.

They hoped the site would become a marketplace forresidentsto link up with drivers looking for an alternative place to park their vehicles besides expensive lots and elusive spots on the street.

"It is a one-for-one service," said Hallum. "For example, I would go to work, and you would come park in my driveway."

Users would pay a fee for using the website in addition to the rental cost for the parking.

At first, said Hallum, city bylaw officers told him the service was in line with city parking laws.

However, as the website started to attract interest from business leaders looking for solutions to the city's parking crunch, Hallum said city bylaw officers changed their tune.

"They thought we were going to make residential driveways into commercial parking lots," said Hallum.

"We aren't trying to promote making driveways into parking lots. We are trying to promote official land use and sustainable development."

Driveways for private use, not commercial

Ottawa's zoning bylaw prohibits residents from using their driveways for commercial use.

City spokesperson Barre Campbell said residents who rent their spaces to someone else would be breaking the law.

'We aren't trying to promote making driveways into parking lots.' Scott Hallum, entrepreneur

"This is a case of seller beware. Sell or rent out your laneway, and you could risk being fined," said Campbell in a statement to CBC News.

While the city does have a record of supporting entrepreneurship, he said, the city wants to keep careful control over its parking system. Promoting alternative forms of transportation besides vehicles is also a priority, he said.

Hallum plans to contact city councillors in hopes of having the zoning bylaw changed.

"There are a lot of people that support this," said Hallum. "Hopefully we can make some amendments."

In the meantime, Hallum is encouraging people to sign up on the site to show their support.

Entrepreneurs subject of online reality show

The Hallum brothers' rocky experience of starting a new business isn't going to waste.

They are being featured on an online realityvideo series called Idea2Delivery produced by a local business consulting firm.

Meanwhile, the practice of renting out residential parking spaces is gaining popularity on sites such as Craigslist.

Toronto-basedParkingspots.com also provides a service linking residential and business owners with people looking to rent parking spots.

The site's terms of use section states that the services may only be used by individuals who have the legal right to rent out their property.