City looking for public input regarding Laneway Housing in Nelson
By Nelson Daily Staff
In a media release, the City of Nelson said small backyard houses, also known as laneway houses, coach homes, or detached secondary units, have been permitted in for a number of years; however, very few homeowners have built a unit.
The City of Nelson is looking for public input regarding laneway houses during an open house in in the Central School gym on Tuesday, January 23rd from 4-7 p.m.
The City is now is investigating how laneway housing can become a more attractive opportunity for homeowners.
“Come to learn more about laneway housing and the opportunities for Nelson, and to provide your input on how Nelson’s laneway housing regulations should be updated,” the release said.
Nelson residents are also invited to complete an online survey to provide their feedback on laneway housing.
The survey is available at https://nelson.ca/724/Laneway-Housing.
Questions the City has for residents include:
- What size should laneway houses be?
- Should homeowners be able to have both a secondary suite and a laneway house?
- What can the City do to encourage more laneway housing to grow the housing stock?
- Would pre-approved designs and building plans help homeowners to build a laneway house in less time and at less cost?
The release said currently, detached secondary dwelling units are limited to 5 metres in height and 700 square feet in floor area. Generally, only one-storey buildings can be built within this height restriction. Most recent applicants have applied for variances in order to build larger units.
