Minutes of the Standing Committee Meeting on Housing Legislation – May 3, 2024

MINUTES OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING ON HOUSING LEGISLATION HELD ON FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2024

VIEW ROYAL MUNICIPAL OFFICE – COUNCIL CHAMBERS

PRESENT: Mayor S. Tobias, Chair Councillor R. Mattson Councillor J. Rogers L. Jeaurond C. Walker D. Wilson

PRESENT ALSO: S. Jones, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer L. Taylor, Director of Development Services I. Leung, Director of Engineering S. Scory, Senior Planner D. Miles, Recording Secretary

3 members of the public 0 members of the press

1. CALL TO ORDER – The Chair called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.

2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

MOVED BY: Councillor Mattson SECONDED: Councillor Rogers

THAT the agenda be approved as presented. CARRIED

3. MINUTES, RECEIPT & ADOPTION OF

MOVED BY: Councillor Rogers SECONDED: Councillor Mattson

THAT the minutes of the Standing Committee on Housing Legislation meeting held April 19, 2024 be adopted as presented. CARRIED

4. EXTENSIONS

5. STAFF UPDATE

a) Draft Small Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) and Garden Suite Regulations, dated April 25, 2024, from the Senior Planner and the Director of Development Services

The Senior Planner reported that updates have been made to schedules D and E in response to concerns regarding potential massing impacts.

He reviewed each of the SSMUH sub-categories through testfits and discussed:

• approximate number of eligible parcels within each sub-category;
• parcel sizes and resultant achievable units;
• uses and number of dwelling units permitted;
• permitted housing configurations;
• Floor Space Ratio (FSR) maximums;
• dwelling unit floor area minimum and maximum sizes; and
• property line setbacks.

The Committee discussed maximum FSR related to the parcel sizes.

The Senior Planner described the proposed parking requirements in relation to both the Town’s current requirements and the Provincial recommendations. Specifically, he noted the reduction in spaces required for each dwelling, introduction of visitor parking, and promotion of permeable parking surfaces to support site preservation and reduce surface water runoff. It was confirmed that no changes are proposed for the FSR exemption for enclosed parking as set out in the existing Zoning Bylaw. It was noted that in some areas, while parking is not required under the Provincial legislation, it can still be provided.

Staff introduced garden suite regulations including height, setbacks and rear yard lot coverage, which are either consistent or more stringent than the current accessory building regulations. All restrictions are intended to ensure the structure remains subordinate to the main structure. It was noted that garden suites and secondary suites cannot become strata titled properties. Some on the Committee suggested even larger setbacks for garden suites may be useful to mitigate noise from these units to neighbouring properties.

As View Royal is without greenfield sites, housing provision must focus on infill and redevelopment. The Committee and Staff discussed the 2011 Official Community Plan’s (OCP’s) emphasis on a diversity of housing types, including through infill. It was noted that with a variety of housing choices – both in size and type – comes a spectrum of housing prices and resultantly, a more diverse and layered community. Staff indicated that the proposed bylaw amendments introduce minimum and maximum dwelling unit sizes to prevent micro units and, at the same time, support better unit mixes that include three and four-bedroom family units to ensure communities can support families.

The Director of Development Services stated that a majority of the SSMUH area is not included in the current OCP’s Form and Character Development Permit Area, but the OCP will be amended as soon as possible, once the SSMUH is in the Zoning Bylaw, to control SSMUH's form and character and on-site landscaping. This measure will then allow for consideration of a development’s form and character and massing issues.

The Committee and Staff discussed the Provincial unit count limitation and the additional provisions proposed in View Royal on FSR and impermeable surface area.

Staff noted the Province’s focus is primarily on housing supply and secondarily affordability. The Town has not yet been prescribed the housing targets to be provided, but this information is expected shortly.

The Committee discussed:

• dwelling unit size restrictions for secondary suites, houseplex, and multi-family scenarios;
• concerns that a maximum unit size may encourage maximization of every unit, resulting in over development or very large multi-unit structures;
• use of maximum building area as a tool for regulating massing;
• the testfit examples illustrating infill at a scale larger than what the Committee felt the community would endorse;
• their intention to meet, but not exceed, the requirements of the legislation;
• encouraging developers to include parking even where it is not required to increase desirability and marketability;
• tree canopy impacts, targets, and a requirement to preserve a minimum number of trees and that a minimum number be planted on sites to ensure the tree canopy and species diversity are maintained, established trees are protected and the character of areas remains intact;
• potential for the Zoning Bylaw to restrict total building area size depending on the building type; and
• that the OCP review will consider areas for increased density.

MOVED BY: Councillor Rogers SECONDED: Councillor Mattson

THAT the meeting be extended to 5:00 p.m. CARRIED

6. BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES

7. REPORTS

a) Implementing Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing in View Royal, from the Standing Committee

D. Wilson stated that the focus of the report he and C. Walker provided to this agenda was to identify the density and intensity potential of the SSMUH areas and provide levers that would allow for what the Committee felt would be an appropriate amount of densification into the current environment.

Mr. Wilson provided an overview of the report, describing use of the Provincial Manual Site Standards Packages with additions to allow for zones and sub-zones where SSMUH regulations would apply and within each, the number of dwellings. For all zones and sub-zones, the report proposes maximum floor area limits, with a maximum dwelling size of 93m² per dwelling except in the Site Standards Package A zone which comprises thirty-four lots (north of Thetis Lake) where up to two dwellings can exist and be up to 186m² each.

Staff noted:

• the proposal’s restrictions discourage the inclusion of family-oriented housing of 2-to-4-bedroom units.
• use of the Provincial Manual site standard packages are cause for concern as their setbacks are too small and the lot coverage too great;
• use of the Provincial Manual site standard packages does not reflect neighbourhood context;
• use of the total floor area limitation may be okay for houseplexes, but it is not a suitable measure for townhouses due to their typical configuration, as such, the proposal discourages the development of ground-oriented housing; and
• overall, if every unit created under SSMUH is limited to 93m², the housing typology in the Town will lack diversity and choice.

The Committee discussed:

• getting SSMUH right through the exercise of available levers; and
• inclusion of a floor area limit to address neighbourhood “fit” concerns, limit massing, reduce variances, allow for diversity, and control density and intensity.

MOVED BY: D. Wilson SECONDED: Councillor Mattson

SCOHL-05-24 THAT the Standing Committee on Housing Legislation recommend to Council that the Town’s Zoning Bylaw amendment for Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing regulations be comprised of the following sub-categories:

AND THAT the total floor area limits for all restricted zones in the Town’s Zoning Bylaw be amended as follows:

CARRIED

b) Onsite Parking permeable surface requirements for SSMUH designated lots.

In response to a question regarding permeable/impermeable calculations, the Director of Engineering indicated that permeable pavers are not considered permeable given that they do not provide sufficient infiltration to make a marked difference. He also noted that permeable parking installations are determined on the condition of the sub-soil structure as the Town’s Storm Water Regulation Bylaw No. 902 requires a net zero increase from pre to post development.

8. CORRESPONDENCE

9. NEW BUSINESS

The next meeting, to look at this initiative's next steps, was proposed for Friday, May 17, 2024 with the time to be determined.

10. TERMINATION

MOVED BY: Councillor Mattson SECONDED: D. Wilson

THAT this meeting now terminate at 5:07 p.m. CARRIED