Monday, November 30, 2009

Subject request - City of Prince George view of suites

I received this request/suggestion for a subject which I thought was timely and interesting:

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May I suggest a topic suitable for both general market and your investor blog - the present position of secondary suites in PG. Some years back the city council passed a planning principle saying such suites were encouraged in single family house with one important proviso of assigned car parking. Then two years later a public interest group commissioned a thoughtful study of the topic. [this study is good sources of stats and data.] See LINK http://www.city.pg.bc.ca/business/secondary_suites.pdf After that I loose the trail. Can't tell if the city followed the Abbotsford model or did what Vancouver and many many BC towns did in 2005 - 2007, namely, grandfather all existing suites but require permission going forward.Clarification on City's policy and if they grandfathered or are actively considering doing so would be really interesting to many. Paul

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The city has not changed there official position from what I can tell (Click Here for there Circular). This and other info can be found on my website under the tab called "Investor Info". However a few years back the City did change/update the zoning and for most single family homes in Prince George a suite & home based business are now zoned to do so in accordance with city bylaws.

It is my experience that they have not grandfathered anything but have put a blind eye to things unless there is a specific complaint about a specific property at which time the city bylaws acts accordingly.

Cheers

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