A public hearing will be held on Jan. 22 for residents to have their say on a rezoning and Official Community Plan (OCP) amendment that would see a property in the 8400-block of Brooke Road subdivided into two for two new single-detached houses.
The North Delta property is 11,162-square-feet in size and currently contains one single-detached dwelling that is to be demolished. Each of the new homes would have an in-ground basement and a secondary suite.
Properties on Brooke Road range in size from 5,188-square-feet to 12,271-square-feet.
The site’s current zoning is Single Detached Residential 1 (RS1), intended for single-detached housing in lower density residential areas, while the land use designation for the area is Single-Family Residential. If the application is supported by council, it would be the first such infill application approved in the neighbourhood since the Year 2000.
A report to council by the planning department notes that during the application review, staff and the owner discussed the potential for small-scale multi-unit housing on the property. However, the owner indicated that they are building the houses for their family and that thE application reflects their preferred housing form.
“Staff note that based on the recent provincial announcements, municipalities across British Columbia will be required to amend their zoning bylaws to permit small-scale, multi-unit housing on all single detached residential lots. Once the zoning bylaw is updated, it is possible that the owner could consider additional units on each of the proposed lots without further Council consideration,” the report notes.
According to the Ministry of Housing, in most areas within municipalities of more than 5,000 people, new legislation will require bylaws to allow for three-to-four units on lots currently zoned for single-family or duplex use, depending on lot size.
Six units will be permitted on larger lots currently zoned for single-family or duplex use and close to transit stops with frequent service.
Municipalities covered by the legislation may permit additional density, if desired, but cannot have bylaws that allow for fewer permitted units than the provincial legislation.
The province last month announced the release of the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing Provincial Policy Manual with site standards to help local governments work with homebuilders to move forward with viable housing projects. Municipalities are required by legislation to consider the manual when developing local zoning bylaws and policies.
