155 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

Property owners should be able to plunk a shipping container down in their yard and call it a tiny home. If it's good enough for the Province it should be good enough for the CoV.

[aastra]

 

They should revise the rules to allow a modern yurt. then you would see some infill. Cronies won't profit though.

 

The truth yurts.

[dasmo]

Property owners should be able to plunk a shipping container down in their yard and call it a tiny home. If it's good enough for the Province it should be good enough for the CoV.

That too. When I built my house I think the permit process alone cost a crap load. And I did most of the work myself in terms of drawings, design and paperwork. Still the fees, the arborist, the biologist came out to thousands. Just to get permission. I'm glad they don't truly enforce the rules they made. Otherwise I still need to plant 12 trees or else pay the corporation $300 for each one not planted ( I did plant 4). Now add in the step code and it's going to cost a small fortune to build your garden suite! 

[aastra]

 

If it's good enough for the Province it should be good enough for the CoV.

 

Governments and corporations are allowed to be outrageous and ridiculous. Ordinary people are held to a higher standard.

[aastra]

 

When I built my house I think the permit process alone cost a crap load. And I did most of the work myself in terms of drawings, design and paperwork. Still the fees, the arborist, the biologist came out to thousands. Just to get permission. I'm glad they don't truly enforce the rules they made. Otherwise I still need to plant 12 trees or else pay the corporation $300 for each one not planted ( I did plant 4). Now add in the step code and it's going to cost a small fortune to build your garden suite!

 

When you built your house there was no housing crisis*, so all of those rules and measures designed to aggravate the housing situation were commendable and justified.

 

*I'm assuming you built your house prior to 1891.

[Mike K.]

We’re a city of ruin.

Being ruined since 1843, I mean.

[Nparker]

We’re a city of ruin. Being ruined since 1843, I mean.

Now that's the anti-settler sentiment I like to see. 

[aastra]

 

Now that's the anti-settler sentiment I like to see.

 

Settle down. I find the anti-settler sentiment to be unsettling. But I have a feeling we're never going to settle this argument so I'll settle in and await the rebuttals. This is VV after all. I could hardly settle for less.

[spanky123]

Property owners should be able to plunk a shipping container down in their yard and call it a tiny home. If it's good enough for the Province it should be good enough for the CoV.

 

Call it a non-profit shipping container and a City staffer can approve it for you!

[Nparker]

Call it a non-profit shipping container and a City staffer can approve it for you!

With provincial rent controls in place, it's almost guaranteed to be a non-profit endeavour eventually.

[Victoria Watcher]

The first 19 months of the District of Saanich’s garden suite program have seen nearly 50 per cent of applicants approved for their projects.

Of the more than 100 projects received by the municipality’s planning department as of the beginning of May, 50 had been approved for development permits.

Having been asked to report back in a year after the regulations were enacted in October 2020, staff tallied the numbers and found 57 of the 67 garden suite applications received by October 2021 were for new garden suites, while 10 were for converting existing accessory buildings to legal suites.


https://www.vicnews....als-mayor-says/


Based on feedback received over the first year and information contained in the staff update, council on May 9 proposed a number of improvements to the program. Among those are to allow garden suites in side yards and front yards, as well in RS-zoned properties that are not within the district’s Sewer Service Area, and to expand approval authority for these development permits. Several minor changes to the regulatory framework to improve clarity and enhance process efficiency were also proposed.

Any approved changes will be monitored and outcomes reviewed for the two-year review of the program.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 16 May 2022 - 05:21 PM.

[Sparky]

"...Garden suites in Saanich can now be built in a front or side yard if the layout allows without having to get council approval, as part of changes approved by council Monday..."

 

"...Haynes said garden suites add to the housing supply, offer flexibility for homeowners and are sensitive to the neighbourhoods where they are built. “It’s really what we would call gentle infill...”

 

https://www.timescol...e-yards-5576880

[spanky123]

^ Airbnb baby!

[Sparky]

My post above regarding garden suites in Saanich my not have been 100% accurate. This below from Mayor Haynes.

 

"I am delighted to see the enthusiasm across Saanich for Garden Suites. These provide great housing option.
Here is an update of our recent progress as some folks may be unsure as there are a number of moving parts.

 

As part of the one-year review of the Garden Suite Program, staff brought forward a Report to Council that provided an overview of the program and recommended changes to the regulations to reduce the number of variances required to reduce processing times. The full report went to Council on May 9 and a copy can be found here:https://saanich.ca.g...4&meta_id=46181

 

One of the recommended amendments was to amend the Zoning Bylaw to allow Garden suites in front and side yards. Council directed staff to do this work and the necessary Bylaw amendments are currently being prepared. It is important to note that they have not yet been presented to Council or adopted.

 

As such, Garden Suites are not permitted in front and side yards currently. Bylaw amendments will be brought forward to Council in Fall 2022. If Council approves the amendments, garden suites would be permitted in front and side yards at that time.

Further information regarding Garden Suite requirements can be found here: https://www.saanich....den-suites.html

 

As well, please note, as of May 2022, over 100 Development Permit applications have been received by planning, and of those, 50 have received approval.
If residents have any questions regarding Garden Suites, they can contact us at GardenSuites@saanich.ca.

In addition, please note that at the moment  homeowners can not install on-site stormwater management.

The meeting on Monday, July 11, provided direction to staff to “develop servicing requirements and performance criteria that allow on-site stormwater disposal where no existing piped drain service is available for any constructed or renovated structure on an RS zoned lot that is not the subject of a conditionally approved subdivision or a rezoning application.”

This requires an amendment to Schedule H of the Subdivision Bylaw, which staff do not expect to be in front of Council before the end of 2022/beginning of 2023.
As well, only about 2,000 RS-zoned properties in the District of Saanich don’t have direct access to the municipal storm drain."

If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to contact me.
Kind regards,
Mayor Haynes

[Victoria Watcher]

Capital Daily:

 

 

 

 

 

Saanich creating space for co-ops and criteria for double suites

 

Coun. Karen Harper introduced a motion last week to have staff consider criteria for allowing both secondary and garden suites on some single-family residential properties. Harper said making it possible for homeowners to opt for both could help with "more gentle infill" housing in areas of Saanich that are not the focus of dedicated densification efforts.

Couns. Rebecca Mersereau and Zac de Vries expressed concerns as to whether the motion will do enough to address housing affordability and the district’s climate goals.  The motion passed with Mersereau, de Vries, and Taylor opposed.

Council also unanimously supported a motion from Mayor Fred Haynes to add co-op housing to its expedited application process to speed up the timeline of upgrades, repairs, and renovations as well as new co-op housing proposals.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 26 September 2022 - 05:08 AM.

[lanforod]

Boy, I don't understand de Vries and Co there. Same as with Issit in CoV. Why oppose incremental improvements due to the rationale "it doesn't do enough"? Why not instead, support it and then work on what you feel needs to be added?

Edited by lanforod, 26 September 2022 - 11:03 AM.

[LJ]

They don't feel it will ruin enough neighbourhoods, everybody should suffer the consequences, so the poor people don't feel stigmatized.

[Mike K.]

Boy, I don't understand de Vries and Co there. Same as with Issit in CoV. Why oppose incremental improvements due to the rationale "it doesn't do enough"? Why not instead, support it and then work on what you feel needs to be added?

 

I suspect that they know these suite/garden suite initiative are sincere gentle densification measures. And since they're using the term for significantly higher densification efforts, there's now a disconnect in play among politicians, and garden suites =/ three-storey multi-plexes.

[Victoria Watcher]

Seattle is now building more ADUs than single houses

https://www.seattlet...e-houses/?amp=1

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 March 2023 - 08:17 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

The province opened applications on Thursday for a $40-million low-interest loan program to help homeowners build secondary suites, as part of its efforts to generate more affordable housing in B.C.

 

Premier David Eby and Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon launched the three-year incentive program at Castle Building Centre on Bay Street in Vic West.

 

Homeowners will be offered forgivable loans for as much as 50 per cent of the total cost of renovations, up to a maximum of $40,000, to help cover construction costs for new basement suites, garden suites, or carriage or laneway homes on their properties.

 

“Which means that 1,000 individuals and families a year will benefit from being able to access below-market rental housing that we know is desperately needed in our communities,” said Eby.

 

Eby said there’s no “one silver bullet for the housing crisis,” which requires a wide array of responses from governments and communities.

 

Applications opened Thursday at 12:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis to the first 1,000 homeowners of 3,000 homeowners who are eventually expected to take advantage of the program.

 

Kahlon indicated that depending on the uptake, the next opening may be later this year. “This is a pilot. It’s an innovative new tool,” he said. “We’re going to see how it rolls out and if it needs to be expanded then I’ll be knocking on the Minister of Finance’s door.”

 

To be eligible, homeowners must be Canadian residents with a household income that does not exceed $209,420 based their tax return. The home itself cannot be assessed for more than $2.150 million in 2024.

 

Most incorporated municipalities and regional districts are included.

 

The new suite to be constructed must be a self-contained unit with its own kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area within the dwelling or on the property and cost a minimum of $20,000 to build. The loan is not available for renovations to existing suites.

 

The loan will be provided after work is finished and an occupancy permit has been issued. If the homeowner rents out the secondary suite at or below market rates — set by B.C. Housing — for at least five years, the loan will be forgiven — at 20 per cent each year over five years.

 

In Victoria, the rent must not exceed $1,400 for a one-bedroom, $1,760 for a two-bedroom or $2,035 for a three-bedroom for the loan to be forgiven.

 

In Nanaimo, the threshold is $1,325 for a one-bedroom, $1,821 for a two-bedroom, and $1,821 for a three-bedroom, and in Duncan, it’s $931, $1,086 and $1,650.

 

 

 

 

_______________

 

 

Dusty Delain, owner of Amity Construction, said to build a self-contained suite in a 1950s or 1970s home would cost well over $100,000, which makes the province’s $40,000 forgivable loan “a little bit of a subsidy.”

 

Even if renovation costs could be kept to $100,000 — $200,000 is more realistic — that’s about $1,200 a month to repay the loan and an owner could only charge $1,400 for a one-bedroom in Victoria, he said.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...-suites-8690976

 

 

“Even after the five years when the government says well, you are forgiven that $40,000, the homeowner’s out of pocket,” said Delain, adding the landlord may then have tenants for whom they can’t raise the rent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a hair-brained scheme.  The only way it works is if you got dream tenants that are going to move out after 5 years, or maybe you have a relative you are going to move in so you can displace your tenants.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 May 2024 - 04:00 AM.