The City of Vancouver is looking at opening more avenues to home ownership. On Wednesday, council unanimously approved a motion for staff to explore the idea of allowing the subdivision or stratification of laneway homes. The motion was tabled by ABC councillors Sarah Kirby-Yung and Mike Klassen. Klassen said there are about 6,000 of these kinds of homes in Vancouver. “It’s really a way to look forward on how we actually use land within our residential neighborhoods,” he said. “Laneway houses are incredibly popular.” Klassen added if the idea is adopted, it could provide greater opportunities for intergenerational living. “I think it will provide real opportunities for more housing, and more people to get into the market and potentially have a better way for people to downsize,” he said. Industry support According to the motion, titled “Opening Doors: Expanding Ownership Options for Laneway and Backyard Homes,” while the city has recently allowed stratification and subdivision for multiplex developments, the same opportunity does not currently apply to laneway homes and accessory dwelling units, “even when these units meet the siting, massing, and design guidelines of the R1-1 policy.” Bryn Davidson, the co-owner of Lanefab Design/Build, said his clients have been requesting this option for years. “Say you’re a family,” he said. “If you’re able to separate these into two strata units, then your kid can get their own mortgage. They can sell the house if they need to when it’s time to inherit the the property. It’s easier to deal with. So it just makes everything a lot simpler.” ‘Financial barriers’ Akua Schatz, the board chair of Small Housing B.C. and owner of Smallworks Studios, agreed with Davidson, adding she wished she had this option when her family built one of the first laneway homes in Vancouver. “We were hoping that strata titling would come into place just to help to ease some of the legal and financial barriers that we were facing, trying to create a co-ownership model that worked,” she said. Schatz said Small Housing B.C. conducted a poll on the public’s attitudes around this kind of housing, the results of which were published Thursday. “They found that over 80 per cent of folks are really supportive of this form of housing, and they want to see more options in their communities,” she said. Affordability? Andy Yan, the director of the city program at Simon Fraser University, said if the city endorses this approach, it may not necessarily address affordability. “I think that part of this, actually, one has to keep an eye on is really some concerns around speculation,” he said. “Does this create the latest and newest investment vehicle in Vancouver real estate as opposed to homes for families?” The staff report is expected to come back to council in the fall or early next year.
