Case Studies & Stories of Practice
British Columbia
Burnaby’s Secondary Suites and Housing Choices Program
With a 7% population increase between 2016 and 2021, Burnaby has seen strong demand for secondary suites, driven by family ties and housing pressures. This demand led to thousands of unauthorized suites by 2014, prompting the City to adopt a policy that supports authorized suites for safety and compliance.
Today, Burnaby has nearly 1,800 permitted suites and over 4,000 unpermitted units, with new initiatives like the Housing Choices program exploring options between single-family homes and apartments.
See how Burnaby is formalizing suites and broadening gentle density options.
Keywords: Burnaby secondary suites; gentle density housing; in-law suites; laneway homes; housing choices program; small-scale multi-unit housing; unauthorized suites; housing policy Burnaby; missing middle housing; infill housing solutions
