The City of Victoria plans to double the cost of garden suite applications to $2,000, but that doesn’t seem to be the biggest barrier for residents using the program.
Builder Nick Kardum says that cost won’t dissuade people, but the weight given to tree protection and window replacement will be because of the prescribed distances from property lines and neighbours.
As a result, Kardum says that many designs are rejected and need to be revamped, creating delays in the process and increasing costs.
The city directed staff to revise the garden suite policy design guidelines last week, and the new cost for applications is a reflection of the time required to process them.
A staff report to council this past week suggested that the building of garden suites has increased over the last several years after the city adopted new zoning regulations in 2017.
Although the number of applications has increased and the report said the current garden suite program is generally working well, staff still feel it can use some changes.
The report to the council sought changes to the guidelines, including window placement and tree protection, among other things.
The report also points out that a total of 77 suites have been built over the last five years, but Mayor Lisa Helps acknowledged there is room for improvement with the program.
With files to the Canadian Press.
CHEK News
