About 300 Delta homeowners came out to the North Delta Recreation Centre over the weekend for the city's first-ever "Plan-A-Thon."
The event on Saturday (Nov. 23) offered residents a chance to speak directly with the City of Delta's development team about options for building so-called small-scale multi-unit housing (SSMUH) forms such as coach houses and secondary suites on their properties.
The Plan-A-Thon marked a successful milestone in the Delta's ongoing efforts to engage the community on housing opportunities, according to a city press release, especially given distribution of a mailout alerting residents to the event was (and is still) delayed due to the ongoing Canada Post strike.
"Despite this setback, the strong turnout demonstrated significant community interest, and city staff are now considering additional events and engagement opportunities to keep the conversation about housing solutions in Delta moving forward," the city said in a press release.
“Small-scale housing solutions, like coach houses and secondary suites, play a vital role in addressing the growing demand for housing within our community,” Mayor George Harvie said in a press release. “It was inspiring to learn so many residents were eager to explore ways to enhance housing opportunities in their neighbourhoods.”
In June, council adopted amendments to the city's Zoning Bylaw to allow the development of SSMUH in areas currently zoned for single-detached and duplex housing.
The changes were made to align with provincial legislation requiring B.C. municipalities to introduce regulations for the development of SSMUH in areas currently zoned for single-detached and duplex housing by June 30, balancing those new density targets with existing zoning parameters such as height, setbacks and lot coverage in order to maintain the character of Delta’s neighbourhoods, according to a press release.
“It’s still early days for these zoning amendments, and the Plan-A-Thon provided a valuable opportunity to assess how these policies perform in practice,” Doreann Mayhew, general manager of development with the City of Delta, said in a press release.
“Our team is reflecting on the feedback gathered and will explore potential adjustments to better support homeowners interested in adding small-scale housing options.”
More information about small-scale multi-unit housing in Delta can be found at delta.ca/housing-our-future.
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