A committee of North Bay City Council has endorsed a zoning amendment that, with final approval, would allow the construction of 10 tiny homes on five lots on the Lake Nipissing side of Sunset Boulevard.
See related: Tiny home lakefront development needs a little rezoning
The approval, which came during a Tuesday, Oct. 15 special committee meeting, followed the recommendation of City of North Bay staff. The file will go to a vote at the next regular meeting of the council to officially rezone the property from a Residential Multiple First Density (RM1) zone to a Residential Fifth Density Special (R5 Sp.) zone. The committee vote was unanimous, although Councillor Mark King was absent.
The property at 2 Sunset Blvd. has 52 metres of frontage along the edge of Lake Nipissing and widens in a fan shape as it reaches the road. Although the developer has not decided on the final design, the tiny homes would measure approximately 37 square metres each or approximately 400 square feet. The plan is for the property to be severed into six separate parcels, with two tiny homes to be constructed on five of them.
Special zone requests also accepted by the committee will reduce the minimum frontage of each of the lots, allow an accessory dwelling unit to exceed 75 per cent of the ground floor area of the primary dwelling unit and recognize the setbacks of the existing structure. A minimum frontage of 7.79 metres for the lots will be allowed.
If the severances gain final approval, each of the 10 lots containing the tiny homes would be eligible for sale at the discretion of the owner. As Coun. Gary Gardiner supposed nothing in the by-law prevents the units from being used as short-term rentals instead of permanent housing.
Mackenzie Van Horn of Tulloch Geomatics represented property owner 2525118 Ontario Limited at Tuesday's meeting, making a presentation and later taking questions from the council members.
"The proposed dwellings will be smaller in footprint," Van Horn told the committee. "These will be prefabricated and this is the reason why they are looking for relief from the provision that one of the units needs to be 75 per cent the size of the primary unit. That is due to the prefabricated nature and may be easier for them to order two houses that are the same size and put them on the lot.
"It's for flexibility. These may end up being more than 400 square feet. Maybe they'll only put one home on the lot but this is their vision right now, to have two tiny dwellings on the lot. Certainly, these lots could accommodate a more traditional single-detached dwelling and meet all requirements of the R5 Zone."
The current owner purchased the property in 2020. In 2013, it was rezoned from a tourist commercial zone to accommodate apartment buildings, according to the property owner's agent, three buildings with six units each had been considered, however, unfavourable soil conditions were discovered in a detailed site analysis, forcing the property owner to shift focus. Besides an existing duplex, the property is vacant. The existing duplex, presently zoned for apartment use, will remain in its current status upon final approval.
"There were soil studies completed, and while the previous plan is not impossible, it is not as feasible as something that is a little lower density due to the soil conditions," Van Horn clarified. "What is being proposed now is five new lots — that was provisionally approved at the committee of adjustment — each with a single dwelling and an additional residential unit."
City staff addressed concerns from neighbours about increased traffic saying no controlled intersection is planned for Lakeshore Drive and Sunset Boulevard. Several community members have expressed concerns about overall road safety and the lack of on-street parking in the area due to the nearby dining establishments and the nearby lake access.
Adam Lacombe, a senior engineer with the City of North Bay said his department looked at the road capacity on Sunset Boulevard. "The road has capacity for about 3,000 vehicles per day. It's based on the number of residential properties there. We're not getting anywhere close to that. Same with the tourism aspect, I wouldn't expect those maximums would be exceeded."
"The total number of units now proposed, including the existing duplex is 12," Van Horn continued. "So, we're going from 18 units [from the apartment building proposal in 2020] to 12 units. So, keep that in mind when we talk about traffic and parking. We are technically 'down-zoning' to a lower density ... On-street parking is not the responsibility of my client. They are meeting the parking requirements of the zoning by-law for their proposal."
No presentations were made by members of the public, other than by Van Horn.
According to the report that accompanied the proposal by Peter Carello, a senior planner with the City of North Bay, the application meets the Provincial Planning Statement 2024 and the City’s Official Plan — both of which encourage the development of different forms of housing.
"By creating different forms of residential units, the local housing inventory will be attractive to and will be financially viable to a wider range of individuals," Carello wrote. "The proposed application would facilitate the development of a new form of residential development that is not otherwise available elsewhere in the community. This will result in new homeownership opportunities for the community."
Van Horn added, "Demographics of future residents are not a planning consideration. I do see these being owned by first-time homeowners because they are more affordable than your traditional single-detached home on the market. Young professionals, people looking to downsize, such as retirees, and maybe even central contract workers — people coming to work in our hospital for a year or two and looking for housing."
