I recently spent my afternoon wandering the back lanes of
Vancouver. I was not alone.
I was joined by a broad cross section of Vancouver residents
participating in Vancouver’ Heritage Foundation’s (VHF) 7th annual Laneway
Housing Tour.
Living on a lane is not a new idea in Vancouver. But it has
gained popularity since 2009 when laneway housing was formally approved by the
Vision-led council, following its introduction as part of the NPA’s EcoDensity
initiative.
VHF promotes laneway houses since they are a way to help
preserve older character houses. This year’s tour included houses spread across
the city, including an infill house constructed behind the historic Chan house
in Strathcona.
Some Courier readers may recall I wrote about a VHF laneway
tour two years ago in a column called,
“City of Vancouver laneway homes should be sellable.”
I noted that while laneway houses can only be rented under
Vancouver’s zoning bylaw, many are being built for family members who would
like to own their home.
Fortunately, innovative financial institutions such as
Vancity were assisting them through ‘tenants-in-common’ legal agreements and
other complex legal structures.
However, it was my hope that the current council, or a
future council will allow some laneway houses to be sold through a bare-land
strata subdivision or strata title arrangement. One approach might be to start
with laneway houses on corner lots.
While I have been a supporter of laneway housing for more
than 40 years, in the past I was critical of Vancouver’s program since the
design guidelines tended to encourage two level, rather than single level
homes. Homeowners and builders were also designing garages with in-floor
heating and large windows (and even French doors) to be converted to living
space once the city inspector had gone.
My concern was that this would ultimately lead to on-street
parking congestion, which might threaten the program.
Fortunately, the city has modified its design and parking
guidelines and this year’s tour included two single-level homes.
However, from talking to some builders, I discovered there
remain numerous complaints about the program.
For example, the city allows laneway houses on properties
that include a basement suite. However, planners will not allow the basement
suite patio at the front of the house. Instead, it must open onto the rear,
often crowding the outdoor space for the laneway and main houses.
Why?
One builder suggested the reason is nostalgia. The city
doesn’t want single-family neighbourhoods to lose their traditional character.
If this is not the reason, I hope someone at city hall will
respond. I will tell them how New Westminster is considering a blanket rezoning
of single-family neighbourhoods to allow duplex dwellings.
Builders also complained about the application of Vancouver’s
‘accessibility’ standards. While few would disagree with the need to make more
housing accessible to those in wheelchairs, it can be very difficult in a tiny
two-storey house.
One of the complaints I often hear is how long it takes to
get permits in Vancouver. These delays contribute to the cost of housing, and
laneway houses appear to be no exception. Despite their small size and often
standardized plans, I was told that it generally takes eight months or more to
get the necessary permits and another eight months to build.
Surely it is not necessary for permits to take so long. If
the reason is that staff are overloaded with applications, I would suggest the
city allow ‘certified professionals’ to play a greater role in issuing permits
for laneway houses.
One thing that I would ask for, however, is that laneway
house designs be required to incorporate space for garbage cans. As I walked
down every back lane, garbage cans seemed to dominate the view.
Over time, as more and more laneway houses are built, we
should expect laneways to become more attractive, with doors fronting onto
nicely paved roads, and improved landscaping and fencing.
While I commend Vancouver for implementing the laneway
housing program, this year’s tour taught me further improvements are needed.
Hopefully, some of these changes can be made by Vancouver’s new planning
regime, before next year’s tour.
If you have been considering a laneway house, go to the city
website and search for “Building your laneway house.”
michaelarthurgeller@gmail.com
@michaelgeller
© 2016 Vancouver Courier - See more at:
http://www.vancourier.com/opinion/vancouver-s-laneway-housing-program-could-be-improved-1.2397452#sthash.Y80HPTdV.dpuf
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