Vernon council (file photo/Vernon Matters Staff)

By Liam Verster

For Semi-Detached Dwellings

More secondary suite options proposed in Vernon, sparks discussion on parking

Aug 16, 2023 | 12:26 PM

The City of Vernon is investigating opening up more housing options by permitting more secondary suites.

Vernon council received a draft bylaw amendment that would permit secondary suites in all residential zones in semi-detached dwellings at its regular meeting Monday, August 14.

Under the B.C. Building Code, secondary suites are permitted in row houses, duplexes, triplexes and other multi-family dwellings.

This past June, council tasked staff with investigating allowing secondary suites in properties with semi-detached dwellings, with the stipulation that the primary and secondary suites not be located above or below each other, which would exclude duplexes from the proposed bylaw.

Vernon’s long range planner, Barbara Everdene, presented the proposed bylaw, which she said falls within the Housing Action Plan and aims to reduce barriers for rental housing, though did note this change would not affect too many properties.

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“In terms of our housing types, only eight per cent of our housing right now is in semis and duplexes, so this bylaw amendment would affect less than eight per cent because duplexes in our zoning bylaw refer to above and below suites, so it’s a very small number of housing types that are affected at this time,” Everdene told council.

The city has permitted, on average, 13 secondary suites per year since 2019, and Everdene said this bylaw change would allow more properties to be eligible for suites.

The existing zoning bylaw currently requires the property owner reside in either the primary dwelling unit or secondary suite, but the report stated that creates a barrier to the creation of more affordable rental housing, and recommends the requirement be removed.

The bylaw also recommends the minimum suite size be 29m² though this requirement remains under review and a more concrete floor-space requirement will be brought forward in the fall. The current bylaw has the maximum floor space of a secondary suite set at either 90m² or 45 per cent of the net floor area.

The report proposed that, going forward, semi-detached dwelling properties in the Official Community Plan’s City Centre and Neighbourhood Districts would have no additional parking requirements, while properties in the Hillside and Agricultural District would have a requirement to provide one additional parking space per suite.

Following the presentation, the conversation turned towards the parking issue.

Councillor Akbal Mund inquired if the city’s parking bylaw would need to be changed to accommodate the secondary suites, stating existing secondary suite properties see the driveway taken up by the primary residence and the secondary suite inhabitants parking off the driveway on gravel in the yard.

Everdene stated it would be up to the property owners to allocate parking spaces for tenants in the City Centre and Neighbourhood Districts.

She also noted a parking review will be conducted under the upcoming Master Transportation Plan Review, and through that, solutions to parking challenges could be identified and implemented.

Mayor Victor Cumming stated that owners whose properties have no on-street parking should have to provide an on-site space in order to receive a permit for their secondary suite.

Everdene again stated semi-detached dwellings make up a small portion of existing properties, totaling an estimated 440 in all of Vernon and only 427 of those are within the City Centre or Neighbourhood Districts, and that the affordable nature of the suites will mean providing accommodations for people who may not own a vehicle and therefore do not require a parking space.

Councillor Kari Gares said she expected the market to control the outcomes, stating a person with a vehicle would not be looking to occupy a property with no parking, adding the two districts without parking requirements are within the active and public transportation networks.

Council received the report and then gave the draft bylaw two readings at the meeting Monday.

Council also scheduled a public hearing for the proposed bylaw amendment for September 11 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers.