A complaint from a Nichol Road resident about illegal rentals and questionable construction in their neighbourhood led to a wider discussion of the issues at the Sept. 13 city council meeting.
City planning director John Guenther explained that the construction of a bascally-freestanding addition attached to a garage on the neighbour’s home was permitted under current regulations. He also said the other residence that had been used for short-term rentals was on a new city illegal rental watch list that was unveiled earlier this year.
Council opted to send a response letter explaining this to the homeowner.
Guenther also explained that on Sept. 27 the city will be unveiling a new “land use choice” bylaw that will help flesh out proposed options for secondary suites, carriage cottages and other mixed-use housing.
The city is planning a “community engagement process” in mid-October to inform residents about complaint filing, response times and community group involvement.
Illegal rentals have been a hot-button issue for some years now. Currently, rentals of less than a month are not allowed in residential neighbourhoods. Some residents are opposed to city planning department plans to push for denser multi-use neighbourhoods, especially in traditionally single-family neighbourhoods such as Arrow Heights.