While the District of Mission’s Zoning bylaw defines secondary suites, coach homes and garden cottages as secondary dwellings, and controls where they can be built, they have launched a consultation until June 30, 2018 to specifically receive input from the community on a new policy for secondary suites located inside a main home.
The District recognizes that secondary suites are an important part of the housing mix in the community. They provide rental housing and opportunities for families to stay together, longer. However, when they’re poorly managed they can cause of number of issues in the community. As a Realtor, you’ve likely heard people complain about lack of parking or access for emergency personnel in areas with many suites. As well, you’ve likely worked with clients looking to sell or buy a property with a secondary suite.
The District would like to implement a policy that:
- is easy to understand and manage,
- supports safe, affordable rental housing, and
- reduces the issues in the community related to unregulated suites
The municipality acknowledges that the system in place now isn’t always fair and does not provide much incentive to rezone and register a suite to comply with the District’s current regulations. This means many suites in the community haven’t been inspected for life-safety issues, and likely don’t meet basic requirements like parking for renters. From the District’s perspective, the current system is also challenging to administer and takes up significant resources at a cost to the taxpayer.
Why you should participate
If you live or work in the District of Mission, this is an opportunity to provide feedback to decision makers and make a meaningful impact on how suites are regulated and managed in the community.
They’re using the civic engagement platform PlaceSpeak to ensure the feedback is coming from people in the community.
Join the conversation!
Visit the District’s secondary suites consultation webpage and set up a free PlaceSpeak account, Then, you can start reviewing the comments from other community members and sharing your own!
Who’s going to receive the input?
Any comments you provide will be shared with:
- Michael Boronowski, Manager, Civic Engagement & Corporate Initiatives
- Dan Sommer, Director, Development Services
- Kerri Onken, Deputy Treasurer/Collector
- Mayor & Council, District of Mission
Deadline:
- June 30, 2018