Tiny homes get big boost in housing-starved Kelowna
City passes zoning bylaw allowing small secondary homes to be built on existing residential single-family lots.
Article Courtesy | CBC News
Kelowna city council has passed bylaw changes to allow small affordable units to be built on thousands of downtown single-family residential lots. (Winston Szeto/CBC)
The City of Kelowna has big hopes for tiny homes.
City council has passed a bylaw allowing carriage houses and tiny homes to be built on thousands of existing single-family lots in Kelowna's downtown residential core.
It follows months of city staff reviews and a public hearing Tuesday night. Ryan Smith, the City of Kelowna's director of planning and development, calls it "gentle density" and a way to increase housing supply amid skyrocketing real estate prices and rental costs.
Kelowna sees 'overwhelming' demand for micro suites
"[It's] really aimed at increasing the amount of density in neighborhoods that were traditionally single family... not doing it to a four or five-storey level, but doing it under the two-and-a-half storey level," Smith says. Some 570 legacy carriage homes already exist in Kelowna. Vancouver has allowed laneway housing since 2009 and eased the construction permit process in 2013. Other major cities like Ottawa and Edmonton have amended bylaws to increase density with secondary housing.
Laneway housing approved by Vancouver council
Vancouver's laneway love-in: Little homes, big success
While historically built to house staff or services on larger estates, carriage homes these days are popular with extended families looking for social closeness but residential independence and mortgage holders seeking rental income.
The city says bylaws regulating short term AirBnB-style rentals will still apply.
Kelowna businesses build on trend
Mike Roberts, a sales manager at Voyager RV, has added tiny homes to the usual offering of mobile homes and recreational vehicles.
"I see these being very popular," Roberts said. "This is a custom built home ... it's not an RV set up on your property. It's a true tiny home."
Kelowna businesses are now selling prefabricated tiny homes. The city says new units can't be mobile, must be connected to concrete foundations, city utilities and meet building codes. (Submitted by Voyager RV)
