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By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

Rules for secondary suites should help people get back to work says Clayton

Feb 24, 2021 | 6:00 AM

Grande Prairie’s Mayor believes changes to secondary suite rules are key to getting people back to work.

Jackie Clayton says this would impact the people working in development and home-building.

“The amendments were submitted with consultations from BILD Grande Prairie. Council and administration had numerous consultations with them, and it led to the amendments to the land use bylaw and will increase the opportunity for development of secondary suites.”

The changes would allow five suites within a 50-metre radius, up from three. Some conditions have to be met, including the home being on a corner lot, if the home is across from or beside a Public Utility Lot, Municipal Reserve or Storm Pond, across from medium or high-density housing or industrial areas with their own parking, or located across from side yards.

Clayton says council “thought long and hard” about the changes.

“We want to find a good balance between creating great, healthy neighbourhoods and finding opportunities for industry to be able to provide a market that allows for houses that people are looking for. In today’s marketplace, people are looking for a different stream of house than they may have been last time that we visited this bylaw and currently, there is more demand for housing that has secondary suites.”

Homebuilders and the city had been discussing these changes for several months.