The Town of Smithers is considering adding carriage homes to its housing landscape.
At the regular Jan. 28 meeting, councillors agreed to investigate furthering the concept of allowing the small, detached units in Smithers, in the R-2 Low Density Residential zone.
“I think overall, this is an idea there is a lot of appetite out there for,” said Mayor Taylor Bachrach, who was attending the meeting from Vancouver via Skype.
Carriage homes are classified as detached dwellings constructed as an accessory building to a single-family home. They are normally around 500 square feet with one or two bedrooms and typically accessible from a home’s rear lane. They are required to meet the same building standards as single-family homes.
“Allowing carriage houses in Smithers provides another option for homeowners to develop rental housing while at the same time supporting low-impact densification,” said Town of Smithers planner Alison Watson in her report to council.
In Smithers, most R-2 properties are located on the older side of town, on the west side of Highway 16 and are serviced by alleys.
Deputy Mayor Frank Wray, who was chairing the meeting, said he has been hearing lots of positive feedback on the idea but there seems to be some confusion surrounding the concept.
“There’s a bit of a misunderstanding — council isn’t building housing,” Wray said following the meeting. “We’re just looking at allowing another different type of housing. It’s another way to increase the rental stock. This is just one piece of the puzzle for housing in Smithers.”
Town staff were directed to put together a bylaw and Official Community Plan amendments to bring forward around carriage homes to the next regular council meeting, Feb. 11. Public hearings are a legislated part of any zoning and OCP amendment process, and take place following the first and second reading of a bylaw.
At the meeting, councillors raised concerns about parking, privacy and security, upkeep of alleyways and the location of sewer services.
While laneway homes may increase the rental pool in Smithers, councillors cautioned that this was not going to be a solution to the affordable housing crunch.
“If we think we’re creating affordable housing, I think we’re somewhat kidding ourselves,” said councillor Charlie Northrup. “If these 500-square-foot-plus carriage homes are built properly, you’re looking at $100,000-plus, your costs, taxes, maintenance, etc. These homes could easily be going for $1,000/month.”