City of Red Deer public input on Secondary Suites
This is a follow-up to the public input survey concerning secondary suites, which was made available from the City of Red Deer. Thank you to all who participated. The results from the survey are generally favorable, with more participation than anticipated.
Of the survey respondents, 53.6% had favorable experiences with suites, with 58% having suited homes in their neighborhood. 66.2% feel the City should be responsible for providing permits and inspections. 77.8% would not object to neighbors building or developing suites, with 81.2% feeling the need for rules regulating them.
The following are some highlights of the results, and items which are likely to be incorporated in the new program:
- New areas of Johnstone Park, Oriole Park West, West Park and Inglewood have all incorporated R2 lots to allow for secondary suites.
- The City is studying how other municipalities have dealt with this issue, Calgary and Edmonton being the most pertinent. In these cities, suites are allowed on a discretionary basis, taking into account minimum lot size (400 M[sup]2 for Calgary and 412 – 460 M[sup]2[/sup] for Edmonton), number of parking stalls available based on lot size and whether or not the residence is owner occupied.
- Existing `illegal` suites which have been reported will not be dealt with until the final results of the hearing are determined.
- Owner occupied homes with a suite are looking like they will be acceptable, even in current `illegal` zones.
Suites should not exceed 65% of main floor, with the exclusion of the utility room (furnace, hot water tank, etc.)
Suites might need to have separate electrical metering.
Houses with suites will likely pay more for garbage/recycling programs.
The full results will be available online within a week or so, and I will post the link as soon as I find it is available.
Gordon C. Harris is the gentleman in charge of the consulting firm undertaking the study, and he is eager to hear your feedback and comments. He told me that it is okay to email him any comments or questions. His contact information is as follows:
10609 124th[/sup] Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5N 1S5
[email protected]
Fax: (780)-429-0256Thank you, have a great evening,
Glenn
