BASEMENTS IN SINGLE FAMILY AREAS

At the Public Hearing held on June 16, 2009, Council approved zoning changes to enable full-size and more livable basements in all single family areas. Council also approved a recommendation to monitor the development impacts of the zoning changes and report to the public every six months. The provisions for basements are available as an option in the zoning. This means that houses can still be built as they are today, or with the new basement option.

The basement option will permit a house with:

• More floor area overall
• Less floor area above grade
• More floor area in the basement
• A smaller house footprint
• A basement higher out of the ground

The approved by-laws are scheduled to be enacted on July 7, 2009.



LANEWAY HOUSING IN SINGLE FAMILY AREAS

At the Council meeting on June 16, 2009, Council referred laneway housing to Public Hearing on July 21. At the Public Hearing, Council will hear from the public and make a decision on laneway housing. In addition to the staff recommendations, Council:

• Strengthened the monitoring provisions that would apply, to include details of features to be monitored, and a direction to make the monitoring results available to the public every 6 months
• Amended the proposed Guidelines to provide flexibility for lots deeper than the typical 122 feet, to consider laneway units going past the normal garage space into the backyard space; and to provide assessment criteria for these circumstances

Summary of key features of the laneway housing proposal:

• In RS-1 and RS-5 single family areas
• On lots 33’ wide and wider, with an open lane, on a double fronting street, or on a corner with a lane dedication
• Generally located in the space where a garage where be permitted
• Rental or family only / no strata-titling
• Minimum on-site parking requirement of either 1 or 2 parking spaces: to be decided by Council at Public Hearing
• Unit size based on lot size to a maximum of 750 sq.ft. (approx. a 500 sq.ft. unit on a 33’ X 122’ lot)
• 1 and 1 ½ storey configurations, with guidelines to address upper storey privacy, massing, and shadowing
• Enabling homeowners to add a laneway house while retaining their existing main house; with or without a secondary suite in the main house (a laneway house could also be built with a new house)