City council has approved regulation changes to allow owners of duplexes to set up house suites.
On Monday, Jan. 13, council adopted a new Direct Control Zone to allow the development of house suites in duplexes at certain locations within the city.
In September 2024, administration received an application to develop a House Suite in a Duplex at 34 Rutherford Dr.; however, under a new zoning bylaw house suites were restricted to houses only. A "house suite" is defined as a use consisting of a dwelling unit located within, and accessory to, a house.
During an update to the Zoning Bylaw, house suites became a permitted use in the residential low density zone, the residential wide zone, the residential narrow zone and the residential duplex zone, but they were limited to houses only.
Expanding house suites into other forms of residential development was not considered nor consulted during phase one of the city's zoning bylaw project. Upon receiving the application on Rutherford Drive, administration started looking at options to consider this form of development while recognizing that the community has not been consulted. Since receiving the application, additional inquires have been received to develop house suites in duplexes.
The city has about 30 Direct Control Zones, which are set up when council wants a say in how they are developed. Often they are created when a unique use is proposed for a piece of land.
Creating this new Direct Control Zone means all duplex owners who want to pursue a house suite must first successfully apply for a zoning change. City planners say the process will allow them to test how well duplex house suites are working.
The demand for house suites (often called basement suites although they can be anywhere in a home) appears to be on the rise. Since the Rutherford Drive application was received last September, the city has received several other inquiries from duplex owners considering house suites.
