No single strategy will resolve the region鈥檚 housing crisis, but Saanich council is certainly making the right move by formulating a plan that would allow homeowners to build detached secondary suites on their property.
Coun. Fred Haynes, who brought forward the original motion along with Coun. Leif Wergeland, said allowing homeowners to build suites in small, separate buildings could go a long way toward solving the housing crisis in the region.
His proposal envisions small separate houses built on existing lots. They could range from a few hundred square feet to a maximum of 900 square feet. He estimates that Saanich has about 30,000 single-family detached homes. If only 10 per cent of these homeowners decided to build secondary houses, it would add 3,000 units to the housing market, he says.
With land for new housing developments in short supply, this is a good solution for the region. With the right safeguards, it could increase density without drastically changing the character of neighbourhoods.
It鈥檚 a change of direction for Saanich from several years ago, when the idea of secondary suites in basements met opposition. In 2012, council agreed to allow secondary suites south of McKenzie Avenue, and in 2014, the same was allowed north of McKenzie.
Haynes sees advantages of detached secondary suites over basement suites. Building mini-houses would be easier and less expensive than renovations, he said, and would avoid the necessity of upgrading existing wiring and plumbing.
The municipality should take steps to ensure the mini-houses don鈥檛 bring parking and traffic problems. Nor should they degrade a neighbourhood鈥檚 quality of life.
But doubling up on a property is nothing new. In communities such as Langford, many new houses are built with secondary suites on lower levels. While this is often a strategy by the homeowner to help make the mortgage payments, it鈥檚 a welcome means of increasing the housing supply.
In June, Victoria鈥檚 city council approved a housing strategy that includes fast-tracking applications for purpose-built rental units, and looks at removing barriers to building secondary and garden suites.
In 2014, Oak Bay鈥檚 council approved a new community plan that supports considering a wider range of housing options, including legal, regulated secondary suites.
It鈥檚 no secret that Oak Bay, as is the case with other municipalities, has many illegal rental suites. It鈥檚 kind of officials to look the other way, given the need for housing, but it鈥檚 better for everyone concerned to make the suites legal and regulate them, making them conform to such things as construction, safety and parking standards.
Municipal councils and community groups are protective of their towns and neighbourhoods, and so they should be. Anyone who can build new housing these days won鈥檛 lack for buyers or tenants, so the pressure for development is great. But that doesn鈥檛 mean the door should be thrown wide open 鈥� we don鈥檛 want massive Soviet-style apartment blocks or cheek-by-jowl houses.
But we do need more housing, and secondary suites, be they in basements or in mini-houses, can help fill that need if done with wise planning and careful consideration.
