Following a public hearing Tuesday, city council adopted the secondary suites bylaw.
The bylaw requires the City limit secondary suites to owner-occupied single-family homes in R-1 zones; impose a 20 per cent utility surcharge in homes with occupied secondary suites and a surcharge on sewer rates for single-family houses with secondary suites; enforce the Alternate Life Standards for existing suites and the full Building Code regulations for new suites; and adopt an inspection fee schedule for secondary suites that includes a fee amnesty period to Dec. 31, 2011. Owners who register their suites for inspection before Dec. 31, 2011 will have the proposed inspection fee of $75 waived, even if the inspection takes place after Dec. 31. The City will provide a certificate for all inspected suites that meet bylaw requirements indicating the name of the owner of the single-family home.
The City will maintain a database of known secondary suites. This database will be added to as they are identified by the fire department, bylaw officers, City staff, and the RCMP, etc.
The database will include information on building inspection, utility billing surcharge and compliance with the Building Code. The City also adopted two bylaws that a 20 per cent surcharge to water and sewer fees, payable by residence in R-1 and R-8 zones with secondary suites.
Coun. Surinderpal Rathor was the only councillor to not support the secondary suites bylaw.