City opens door to more basement suites; Bylaw change expected this year on two-stage relaxation of rules, beginning with newer suburbs

The Edmonton Journal
Fri 20 Jul 2007
Page: B4
Section: Cityplus
Byline: Susan Ruttan
Dateline: EDMONTON
Source: The Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - Edmonton could start seeing more basement suites next year now that a two-stage plan has been approved by city council.

Peter Ohm, a manager with the city's planning department, said Thursday a bylaw amendment to enact the first stage of the secondary suite plan should go before council by the end of the year.

The city is under pressure to find cheap housing for growing numbers of newcomers, and basement suites are seen as one of the fastest ways to create places.

Council approved the plan on Tuesday.

In stage one, the rules about which houses can install suites will be relaxed in Edmonton's newer suburbs. Stage two will follow in a year or so, and will relax rules for mature neighbourhoods.

"There's a lot more public consultation we feel needs to be done in those mature areas to get those inner-city neighbourhoods comfortable with where we're headed," said Ohm.

He said it will take at least 12 months after stage one begins to get a handle on how many homeowners are interested in putting in suites, how many complaints from neighbours are received, and whether parking becomes an issue.

Under the current rules, homeowners apply for the right to have a suite and must inform their neighbours of their application. The neighbours often appeal the request and often win.

Under the new plan, homeowners will still have to get the OK of a city inspector that a suite meets bylaw requirements, but won't have to notify their neighbours.

Russ Dahms, executive director of the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, said the federation would like to see a rule that suites be allowed only in houses in which the homeowner resides. Such a rule would require a change in provincial law.

The federation is also uncomfortable with allowing homeowners to build suites without informing their neighbours, Dahms said.

"You don't want to throw up an obstacle, but at the same time, what about the neighbours?" he said. "There are no easy answers here."

Calgary city council has a less ambitious secondary suites plan. Its proposed bylaw changes will permit suites only in new neighbourhoods or in older neighbourhoods that have agreed to allow them.

Ohm said Edmonton wants to stimulate new secondary suite construction using incentive money. The province has promised the city $45 million this year for various affordable housing projects.

In Phase 2, the city will launch a program to encourage owners of illegal suites to have them legalized.

Most such suites are in older neighbourhoods.

Certain housing types, such as mobile homes and acreages, won't be approved for suites, Ohm said.

sruttan@thejournal.canwest.com