Provincial

Explore the City of Surrey’s innovative policy on Fee-Simple Rowhouses, a pivotal component of their gentle density strategy.

Key insights:

Fee-simple rowhouses stand apart from strata townhouses, offering full ownership of both building and land. This ownership model eliminates strata fees and rules, allowing property changes without strata approval, while individual owners manage their properties.

In 2012, Land Title Act amendments from the Province mandated Party Wall Agreements for fee-simple rowhouses, outlining responsibilities for shared components.

This Small Housing Case Study outlines how, despite initial concerns such as perceived drawbacks from this style of home including shared walls impacting noise and privacy, Surrey’s fee-simple rowhouses have thrived. They have provided an alternative in a transitioning market from detached homes to townhomes, and have been a central catalyst in inspiring similar projects in Surrey neighborhoods.

Key insights:

The Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) is one of 27 regional districts in BC and has been exploring means to further support gentle density infill forms through the reduction of as many barriers as possible to support the development of additional housing units.

The Regional Housing Needs Assessment for the North Okanagan identified that housing affordability and supply across the housing spectrum (non-market to market) is one of the most significant challenges for communities within the region and is predicted to worsen.

This Small Housing Case Study explores how the Regional Housing Strategy identified several actions to help lessen the costs and increase the supply of affordable housing units, including the concept of pre-approved plans for Secondary Dwellings.

Key insights:

The fast-growing District of Squamish (22% increase since 2016) has allowed duplexes in a large portion of the community for many years now. Starting in 2015, the District began to change single family zoning to allow for accessory dwelling units and secondary suites.

As this Small Housing Case Study details, recent years has seen the District of Squamish’s gentle density approaches has expanded into triplexes and cottage clusters, while past and current neighbourhood planning process are expanding missing middle housing options in established areas through infill. Looking forward, the District will consider additional opportunities for increased housing diversity and infill housing, potentially across broader areas through density bonus structures.

Key insights:

The City of Burnaby is steadily growing, with a population increase between 2016 and 2021 of 7%. The City allows for in-law suites and secondary suites in single family dwellings, secondary suites in duplexes, and laneway homes. Demand for secondary suites has been quite strong in Burnaby due to the strong family ties within resident families and other housing factors.

This demand resulted in up to 5,000 unauthorized secondary suites being created to 2014.

As this Small Housing Case Study details, a policy to support authorized secondary suites was adopted in 2014 in order to start keeping track of the units and ensure compliant construction for safety. Now there are close to 1,800 permitted suites and an estimated additional 4,000+ suites unpermitted as tracked by the declaration form.

More recently the City has introduced a program called Housing Choices, to explore and encourage housing options in the city to bridge the gap between single family homes and apartments/condos.

Older central Montreal neighborhoods, developed in the early 20th century, are among Canada’s densest urban areas. This is achieved through the iconic Montreal “plex” design, stacking two or three apartments on narrow lots without sacrificing livability or relying on high-rise buildings.

Key insights:

The older neighbourhoods in central Montreal – developed in the first half of the 20th century – comprise some of the densest urban areas in Canada, something that is achieved without sacrificing livability or frequent recourse to high-rise buildings.

As this Small Housing Case Study outlines, the key to this puzzling success is the iconic Montreal “plex”, i.e., the stacking of two (“duplex”) or three (“triplex”) apartments on narrow (20-25 feet) lots with each apartment having its own front and back door and civic address.

This convivial solution that nicely combines density, livability, affordability, and conservation, iconic to Montreal, flourished in the first half of the 20th century but then fell victim to changing building regulations in the post-war period. A demand for this traditional housing solution eventually led to a relaxation of building regulations and return of the plex as an acceptable housing solution.

This Small Housing Guidance Paper examines the viability of redeveloping houses in single family neighbourhoods with more homes on the same property, presenting recommendations that will assist various actors involved in setting financial and cost recovery policies as it relates to new gentle density development.

Key policy considerations explored include:

Enabling Tenure Options (Rental & Ownership)

Allowing individual ownership, or strata-titling, for each home on a lot will encourage more new units to
be constructed versus requiring that a property have a single owner (i.e. the owner rents out the additional units, or all residents share a single mortgage).

Leveling the cost playing field and reducing risk

Constructing multi-unit buildings is more complex and costly than single family homes; by offering standardized designs and simplifying approval processes it is possible to reduce the uncertainty and costs involved.

Building in affordability

Given the small number of units involved in these projects, it is administratively simpler and more financially viable to take any affordability requirements or financial contribution (if required) and combine them for affordable housing on a larger site.

For the comprehensive suite of Small Housing Guidance Papers, check them out in the Toolbox Resource Library. Simply search for “Guidance Paper”.

How do we make room for more housing without overwhelming our infrastructure?

As new policies open the door to gentle density across BC, communities are facing tough questions about how to finance and manage the infrastructure needed to support it.

This short, practical guidance paper, developed by Small Housing with support from Urban Systems and ECONorthwest, explores how local governments, planners, and utility providers can prepare for incremental growth. It highlights where current development finance tools fall short, and offers clear, actionable recommendations—from sewer capacity to electrification—to help infrastructure keep pace with policy.

Whether you’re in planning, engineering, or policy, this resource will help you navigate what comes next.

This Small Housing Guidance Paper identifies existing and emerging tools for local governments to increase the supply of gentle density and enhance its affordability.

This guidance paper brings together insights and perspectives collected through two expert roundtables where participants identified existing and emerging  tools for local governments to increase the supply of gentle density and enhance its affordability.

Key insights:

• Gentle density housing is more attainable than single-detached homes due to shared land costs, smaller square footage per unit, and shared building surfaces.
• The local government tools (see below) can make it easier to build this form of housing, and can help to bring down the costs of development. This, in turn, will help to incentivize the production of new supply. As more supply comes online, housing prices cool.
• If local governments stack the tools (and their related cost reductions), they may be able to create sufficient incentives to make the inclusion of below-market units viable within a development.
• There are additional tools that can be leveraged by community partners, such as non-profits, lenders, and other levels of government, that can further support the creation of new and affordable gentle density homes.

Tools for Local Government to support affordability:

• Pre-Approved Plans; Pre-Zoning Allowing for Ownership Tenure: Strata or Freehold; Regulatory Relaxations; Cash-in-Lieu Infrastructure Fund; Limiting Greenfield Development; Parking Reductions; Expedited Project Streams; Delegated Approvals; Certified External Professional Review; Density Bonusing; Reduced Fees; Tax Exemptions

Tools for Non-Profits, Lenders, and Senior Governments to support affordability:

• Create and resource a central knowledge holder; Provide administration support for housing agreements and affordable rentals or ownership; Oversee pre-approved plans; Develop supportive lending products; Create additional services and supports for local governments; Provide greater authority for local governments to enable gentle density; Develop new tools to incentivize gentle density

Key insights:

In the heart of Gitksan Nation’s expansive 33,000 square kilometres in northwest British Columbia lies Anspayaxw, a community committed to its people.

In 2021, Anspayaxw initiated a Rapid Housing Initiative, addressing the critical need for safe and affordable housing for band members, including families and Elders.

As this Small Housing Stories of Practice report outlines, the community’s dedication materialized in the construction of four groundbreaking sixplexes on Soapberry Drive. These 24 new rental units, built between 2022 and 2023, mark a decade since the last multiplex project on Reserve Land. Notably, the development prioritizes accessibility, offering homes tailored to the diverse needs of community members.

Key insights:

Deep in the heart of the Central Interior-Fraser Canyon region, Xaxli’p, an integral part of the St’at’imc Interior Salish Nation, embraces its ancestral land along the Fraser Canyon and southern Coast Mountains. Rooted in the profound connection between the people and their territory, Xaxli’p embarked on a transformative journey in 2019 with the development of a Land Use Plan.

As this Small Housing Stories of Practice report outlines, the community recognized the increasingly pressing housing shortage, and responded by launching the Rapid Housing Initiative in 2021. In February 2022, the completion of a family-based fiveplex marked a significant milestone, providing safe, affordable, and culturally connected housing for Xaxli’pmec families in need.

As Xaxli’p First Nation looks to the future, two additional multiplexes are poised to further enhance the community’s capacity to thrive in harmony with their ancestral land.