Councillors back ‘granny flat’ regulations for Hamilton
City councillors have backed new regulations for secondary housing units in Hamilton.
They're meant to harmonize a patchwork of rules for granny flats and laneway houses that have applied to different parts of the city since the 1990s.
The aim is to reduce red tape for property owners who want to create units in homes or detached dwellings on their land.
The Ontario government has obliged municipalities to allow for secondary units under 2019's More Homes, More Choice Act.
We should be celebrating the fact that interest in our community from our residents is burgeoning," Coun. Jason Farr said, praising local staff's efforts during a planning committee meeting Tuesday.
Coun. John Paul Danko also said he supports the move toward simplified and uniform regulations for secondary units overall.
But he expressed concern that unscrupulous property owners" would take advantage of the reworked policies to jam tenants into inappropriately small spaces.
In a 5-3 vote, councillors backed his motion to limit the number of bedrooms per secondary unit to two.
It's the density that causes all of the problems with property standards and garbage collection and parking," Danko said.
The initiative to offer by right" permission to create secondary units, whether they're laneway homes and basement suites, has been welcomed by many as a way to tackle Hamilton's increasingly unaffordable housing market.
Applicants who don't meet the prescribed requirements can still apply for minor variances before the city's committee of adjustment with fees reduced to $600 from the regular range of $3,230 to $4,145.
An influx of legal secondary units is also seen as a way to curb urban sprawl through added density, with Hamilton projected to grow by 236,000 people, hitting 820,000 by 2051.
I think they are ... part of an answer to gentle intensification that is desirable," Dundas councillor Arlene VanderBeek said.
However, some councillors, echoing feedback from residents, predict landlords will alter the fabric of single-family neighbourhoods by cutting up homes into rentals through the revamped policies.
Coun. Tom Jackson, who's not a planning committee member, lamented a good-neighbour" provision couldn't be attached to local approvals to guard against problematic properties.
Without the conditions, unfortunately, in my humble opinion, it's going to be sadly wide open to potential abuse."
Similarly, Coun. Chad Collins warned of a whole host of issues" relating to privacy, parking and esthetics with no tool to flag a saturation point" for neighbourhoods or require owners to occupy the principal dwellings.
Collins said investor-driven conversions would drive up property values, making home ownership even less affordable for young couples than it already is.
Forecasting a domino effect" of spiking real estate, he called the province's secondary dwelling legislation the lazy way out" of addressing a housing supply problem in Ontario.
The planning committee's approval awaits a final nod at council next week.
Among staff's proposed regulations is one parking space per secondary unit for most of Hamilton, except for parts of the denser, lower city, where there's no requirement for a dedicated spot.
The maximum size for a detached unit is 75 square metres - about 800 square feet, which some councillors argued is too restrictive given some lots are larger than average.
But a motion by Coun. Maureen Wilson to allow units of up to 105 square metres (1,130 square feet) on lots greater than 360 square metres (3,875 square feet) was defeated on a 3-5 vote.
Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com