Final and preliminary approval has been granted for several recent subdivision applications that will see single-lots split into two where a new house will be constructed on each, but it remains to be seen if those applications continue to be the norm under Delta’s new Official Community Plan (OCP).
One of those applications involved a proposal to rezone a 13,293-square-foot property in the 10600-block of River Road, splitting the lot into two where a house with a total floor area of 4,038-square-feet would be built on one lot, while the other would have a house with a total combined floor area of 4,059-square-feet.
The application received initial approval two years ago, before council approved a zoning amendment to limit the size of new houses in the Single Detached Residential 7 (RS7) zone.
A staff report to council notes that new provincial legislation required municipalities to amend their zoning bylaws to permit small-scale multi-unit housing on all single-detached residential lots, and council recently adopted the zoning amendments.
It is now possible that the owner could consider additional units on each of the proposed lots without further council's consideration, the report notes.
A similar message was conveyed in a report regarding a two-lot subdivision application, which received preliminary approval, for a 9,365-square-foot property in 8400-block Brooke Road. Each of the new lots is to have a 3,490-square-foot house.
That report notes that the new provincial small-scale multi-unit (SSMUH) regulations permits four units on the majority of single-detached and duplex zoned lots in Delta. The SSMUH is also intended to expedite approval of multiple units on existing lots by using the building permit application process to replace the need for rezoning or subdivision applications.
Staff reviewed SSMUH options for the Brooke property with the applicant, however, the applicant chose to proceed with their proposal.
Should the application be approved, the owners could build additional units on each of the lots without further consideration by council.
Going forward, staff intend to review small lot subdivision regulations to determine appropriate minimum lot dimensions for residential subdivision in light of the new SSMUH regulations, the report adds.
Meanwhile, a recent report to Metro Vancouver’s Regional Planning Committee examined the potential impacts of the province’s housing legislation to the region’s population distribution. The report concludes there will be minimal effect on regional population growth, but a strong impact on population distribution.
The preliminary modelling predicts stronger growth in major transit corridors and weaker growth in urban centres.
The model also predicts a greater density in single-detached neighbourhoods, but some areas will see minimal changes, while others will see greater intensification.
