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By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

INCREASED DENSITY CAP

Relaxed secondary suite regulations coming to Sylvan Lake

Jul 11, 2024 | 11:00 AM

Council for the Town of Sylvan Lake has recently taken steps to make it easier to develop secondary suites in the community.

On July 8, council unanimously passed second and third readings of an amendment to the Land Use Bylaw concerning the development of secondary suites, following a public hearing that day.

First reading was passed on June 10. Amendments to the bylaw include:

• removing the three lot separation requirement;
• increasing the neighbourhood density cap to 30 per cent, from 10 per cent;
• removing the minimum lot width criteria;
• allowing permitted use in a single detached home in more zones (R1, R1A, R2, RMB, and R5);
• allowing discretionary use in duplex units in the R5A and R2 districts;
• allowing discretionary use in row housing (walk out end units only) in R3 and R2;
• maintaining that a parcel with a secondary suite provide three on-site hard-surfaced parking spots (two for principle use and one for the additional suite);
• and, Home Occupation B is to become a discretionary use when a secondary suite exists on a parcel.

After receiving $5.49 million from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund earlier this year, the Town adopted a Housing Accelerator Action Plan which included the goal of developing 26 new secondary suites by January 30, 2027.

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Before the bylaw amendment was passed, secondary suites were a discretionary use and only considered in single detached homes in most neighbourhoods. Officials say reducing red tape and restrictions in the development of these units is an effort to address the Town’s vacancy rate, which fell to 2.1 per cent in 2023, and was at 14 per cent just six years ago in 2018.

Related: Town of Sylvan Lake to hold public hearing on secondary suites bylaw

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