Town of Sylvan Lake to hold public hearing on secondary suites bylaw
The town council of Sylvan Lake has passed first reading of an amendment to the Land Use Bylaw regarding secondary suite allowances in the area.
On June 10, council was presented with three potential options regarding the expansion of secondary suite developments in the community and opted to pass first reading and bring the matter to a public hearing, which will occur on July 8.
Secondary suite development was raised as an option to aid in addressing the town’s 2.1 per cent vacancy rate, which has decreased from its 2022 value of 4.9 per cent. Through the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), the Town aims to have 26 new secondary suites built by the end of January 2027.
Currently, secondary suites are a discretionary use, meaning that applications needed to be submitted and circulated to surrounding land owners for their input, which increases permit approval time. Other barriers include a requirement that there be three lots separating secondary suite units and a 10 per cent neighbourhood density cap.