Laneway housing close to approval in Hamilton
- Robert Cekan
- 28 Jun 2018
On June 19, planning staff pitched to amend the zoning bylaw to allow homeowners rearing onto a laneway or alley the opportunity to build a secondary unit as a standalone structure.
The bylaw change would only apply to Hamilton’s wards 1 to 4 (aka the lower city) and would exempt certain neighbourhoods such as the downtown core, Westdale or McMaster University.
The structures would have a maximum height of six metres and must be along a laneway or alley. There are no parking space requirements for the new units but the land would not be severable, either.
As the battle for affordable housing in Hamilton continues to rage on, laneway housing is seen as a gentle form of intensification that could not only add several units to the city, but act as a way to beautify some of the more overlooked areas of Hamilton and build small communities in their place.
Take for example Wheeler Lane in the Durand neighbourhood. A quick walk through Google Streetview provides an idea of what a little community of laneway homes already looks like in Hamilton. Cute, bright homes line a small portion of the lane and add character to a once-boring alley.
The city commissioned a study on laneway housing as far back as 2011, but the idea has only been revisited in the last two years as home prices in Hamilton spiked.
While some residents fear that encouraging traffic through alleyways is a dangerous idea, many more claim that increased activity in alleyways contributes to safer streets and not the other way around.
Laneway housing also offers property owners the ability to create a supplemental source of income through rent or can be used as a small office space or studio to work and conduct business within that’s super close to home but still separate from your personal residence.
Councillor Jason Farr asked staff to bring back a bylaw for council to approve before the upcoming October election meaning the new zoning bylaw may come into effect by this fall.
What are your thoughts on laneway housing? Let us know in the comments below!
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