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Proposed bylaw would open doors for more secondary suites

CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C. – The City of Campbell River is looking at allowing more secondary suites in the community.

A report from senior planner Heather Kauer includes a recommendation that would “increase the supply of affordable housing” in the city.

It asks that staff draft a zoning amendment bylaw that would allow secondary suites in zones that permit single-family homes.

In her report, Kauer notes that vacancy rates are at an all-time low and housing costs are at an all-time high in Campbell River.

“Allowing more secondary suites in Campbell River has the potential to increase the supply of affordable housing and providing relief from high mortgage costs without added government or environmental cost,” Kauer wrote in the report.

“Permitting secondary suites as an allowable use in all zones that permit single-family residences, as many municipalities in British Columbia do, and would help the City address the current housing crisis.”

Director of long-range planning Chris Osborne said the report will come back to council members on July 22nd

It will include a draft bylaw recommending that the council give first reading to the amendment.

If that gets the green light, a public consultation process will begin.

Osborne said the bylaw would initially allow secondary suites in all single-family dwellings but whether or not it remains that way will depend on public feedback.

“The bylaw presented would be the first draft but then it can be changed throughout the process as needed,” he said.

Osborne said the proposed bylaw is in response to the challenges renters face in Campbell River.

“First, it’s a response to the difficulties that we’re experiencing with our historically low rental vacancy rates,” he said. “It’s also a message that we’ve been hearing from a lot of different voices in the community that they would like to see this. And it’s also something that the majority of other municipalities in B.C. are already doing.”

He mapped out a timeline for the bylaw process.

“If council decides to give first reading to the draft bylaw in July, then we would look to hold a series of public open houses throughout August, probably into September, have some online feedback and gather the views of the community, and then we would bring it back again for council to consider sometime in the fall,” Osborne said.

Since 1977 the city has only permitted secondary suites within limited zones and has not allowed them in the most prevalent zone, Residential One (R-1).

This means many property owners must apply for a change in zoning designation in order to build a secondary suite at a cost of roughly $3,000.

In 1998, the option of changing the zoning to include secondary suites within the R-1 zone was rejected.

Since 2000 the city’s policy has been to initiate enforcement action against illegal suites only on a neighbour complaint basis and to require non-resident secondary suite owners to acquire a business license.

Since 2013 there have only been roughly seven of these licences issued. Also since 2013, it was estimated that there were approximately 350 legal suites and 250 illegal suites in Campbell River.

Osborne predicted that a change like this won’t be completely seamless.

“I’m sure there is going to be pushback from some people. I know that parking is probably the biggest concern. But what the zoning bylaw does currently do and will continue to do is, wherever a suite is allowed, the owner must provide at least one off-street parking space.”

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