Peachland council has raised several issues about proposed changes to the district鈥檚 secondary dwelling policy.
Council considered the mostly housekeeping amendments, which add flex units to the policy, at its Feb. 12 meeting. Flex units are secondary dwelling units within a multi-unit residential building limited to a maximum of 400 square feet.
鈥淚 think if planning wants to get going with flex units, they should probably do flex units on their own,鈥� said Councillor Dave Collins.
He also suggested that council revisit the secondary suite bylaw. He pointed to specific sections dealing with existing secondary dwellings that may be required to be decommissioned in certain cases, and enforcement.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e a homeowner and you鈥檝e got an older suite, you鈥檇 almost be terrified to go to planning and go can I licence this or not? The decommissioning provisions are draconian in my opinion.鈥�
Coun. Alena Glasman echoed Collins鈥� comment.
鈥淏ecause all of a sudden they (homeowner) could be faced with tens of thousands of dollars in updating a unit that may never be used for the purpose of rental. To tell homeowners you must register your property鈥hey鈥檙e being told what they can do with something they鈥檝e purchased.鈥�
In 2016, a previous council approved the secondary suite policy which provided guidance on the process and requirements for suite licensing. To date, there are 80 registered suites in Peachland, with 14 in-stream applications. The proposed updates will not change the suite registration process or its requirements.
Staff told council that because there have been recent inquiries about building flex units in existing multi-family developments, and other projects require a minimum of 10 per cent flex units, it is an opportune time to integrate flex units into the policy.
Collins, a realtor, said that flex units and typical secondary suites are completely different forms of housing.
鈥淚t would be better to fine-tune this, take out the things we don鈥檛 like, add the things we want and then bring it forward,鈥� he added. 鈥淎nd if that means it鈥檚 separate from flex units 鈥� so be it.鈥�
Council voted to defer the changes, allow the Committee of the Whole to review them, and have staff bring back an updated policy.
