The Town of Saugeen Shores has amended its housing policy to make it easier to build additional residential units.
The Town says in a release, the purpose of the amendment is to help address the housing shortage, “While allowing neighbourhoods to retain their character.”
It has amended the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to allow for the construction of Additional Residential Units, which it explains are self-contained residences with kitchen and bathroom facilities, on a property already containing a single-detached house, semi-detached house or townhouse.
The change includes permitting up to three ARUs per property, inside or outside of the original dwelling. The Town has also aligned building requirements for ARUs to be the same as their respective zones.
“Mayor Luke Charbonneau says in a statement, “These changes give us another tool to help solve our current housing ‘crunch’,” adding, “We will continue to look for ways to leverage our growth so we can make Saugeen Shores a place where everyone can find a place to live.”
“It’s a way of creating some housing affordability either to create seniors’ housing or alternatively to create a way for people to buy their first home and be able to afford it,” says Charbonneau. He says developers have also been receptive to the Town’s desire to have such properties constructed in new developments.
Charbonneau adds, “The biggest issue has been that we’ve had policies that have restricted folks’ ability to do that, and now because of changes that the province has made, changes that the County has made, and that we have made, it’s much, much easier to apply for and get a building permit for an additional residential unit, so I think it’s a positive step in our broader fight to overcome the affordable housing crisis.”
For more information on the updated ARU policies, as well as best practices and How to Apply for an ARU, go to www.saugeenshores.ca/aru/.