Surrey City Council approved bylaw changes to allow secondary suites in townhouses to boost family-friendly affordable housing. This will be permitted in areas zoned for new developments, within transit-oriented areas and places with frequent bus stops.
“With the housing crisis we are faced with, it makes good sense to permit secondary suites in townhouses,” said Mayor Brenda Locke. “The added benefits of these ‘lock-off suites’ are it gives homeowners a stream of revenue to help with the mortgage, increases affordable rental housing stock, and facilitates new rental units come to market quickly. It is also important to note that the changes are targeted at neighbourhoods that are accessible to frequent transit service in order to give residents a viable alternative to owning a car.”
Surrey’s zoning bylaw currently permits secondary suites in single-family dwellings, duplexes, and semi-detached residential buildings. This latest decision will allow lock-off suites in three different multi-unit residential zones: RM-15, RM-23, and RM-30.
Staff also recommended suites be a minimum of 323 square feet and occupy less than 40 per cent of the habitable floor area of the larger principal unit. Development cost charges and community amenity contributions will continue to be charged based on floor area, which would include the area of lock-off suites. Staff also recommend the updated bylaw applies only to new construction that has building permits issued after the approval of these proposed amendments.
“Staff are pleased to bring forward these amendments to our Zoning Bylaw to permit lock off suites in new townhouse developments that are well served by transit,” said Ron Gill, General Manager of Planning & Development.
“The proposed changes will provide developers constructing new townhouse projects in transit supported neighbourhoods the flexibility to include lock off suites as part of their townhouse project design,” said Ron Gill, general manager of planning and development. “These units will contribute to greater housing choice and affordability in our City. ”
