City of WL Secondary Suite Policy adopted

Editor's Note - if WL Council was serious about public consultation on the bylaw amendments to the Water and Sewer Works Bylaws, then Council would have grouped all bylaw amendments relating to Secondary Suites to the Public Hearing Process by reading Bylaws #2130/2131 twice then referring them to a Public Hearing as a Public Hearing on Bylaw #2134 (Bylaw to amend the City's Zoning Bylaw - Secondary Suites) is mandatory instead of having seperate processes to consult the public on moving forward on the topic of Secondary Suites and noted the same in a group email I sent to Mayor and Council and received only responses from Mayor Cook and Councillor Walters in the traditional corporate message of "Thanks for your email...".  No direction on what they intend to do

From the City of Williams Lake: 

 City Council has endorsed a Secondary Suite Policy in order to make secondary suites in the city safer, ensure there is a diversity of housing options in Williams Lake, and to more equitably collect water and sewer fees.

 “Staff has worked hard on this policy to ensure that secondary suites conform to the Building Code, are safe, and appropriately created in the city,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “We also want to ensure fairness for all residents when it comes to secondary suites and City services.”

 A Secondary Suite refers to an additional dwelling within an owner-occupied, single family home which contains a kitchen facility within an R-1 (single Family Residential) zone in the City of Williams Lake. The term does not include duplexes or additional dwellings in multi-family units or other zoning designations.

 The strategies outlined in the policy include:

·         That the City limit secondary suites to owner-occupied single-family homes in R-1 zones

·         That the City impose a 20 per cent utility surcharge in homes with occupied secondary suites and a surcharge on sewer rates for single-family houses with secondary suites

·         That the City enforce the Alternate Life Standards for existing suites and the full Building Code regulations for new suites

·         That the City adopts an inspection fee schedule for Secondary Suites that includes a fee amnesty period to December 31, 2011. Any owner that registers their suites for inspection before December 31, 2011 will have the  proposed inspection fee of $75 waived, even if the inspection takes place after Dec. 31. The City will provide a certificate, similar to the business license for all inspected suites that meet Bylaw requirements indicating the name of the owner of the single-family home.

The City will maintain a database of known Secondary Suites. This database will be added to as they are identified by the Fire Department, Bylaw officers, City staff, and the RCMP, etc. The database will include information on building inspection, utility billing surcharge and compliance with the Building Code.

The City will require an on premises parking spot to be available for the secondary suite resident

Amendments to zoning, water, and sewer bylaws have yet to be approved by council, and will be subject to public consultation before approval. Dates for public consultation will be set in the coming weeks. The Secondary Suites policy is available online at www.williamslake.ca