City planners are recommending a committee of North Bay City Council to approve a zoning amendment that could lead to the construction of 10 tiny homes on five lots on the Lake Nipissing side of Sunset Boulevard.
According to a report 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 writes. "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."
The tiny homes would measure approximately 37 square metres each or approximately 400 square feet. "The size of the structures is different from the type of new housing that is typically constructed in North Bay," per Carello's report. The lots recently received preliminary approval from the municipal Committee of Adjustment. If the severances gain final approval, each of the 10 lots containing the tiny homes would be eligible for sale by the owner, if they so choose.
During Tuesday's special meeting, the committee will discuss and vote on moving the matter forward for a vote in a regular meeting of council. On behalf of property owner 2525118 Ontario Limited, Tulloch Geomatics seeks to rezone the property from a Residential Multiple First Density (RM1) zone to a Residential Fifth Density Special (R5 Sp.) zone. Besides an existing duplex, the property is vacant. The proposal would see 2 Sunset Blvd. severed into six separate parcels, with two tiny homes to be constructed on five of them.
The existing duplex, presently zoned for apartment use, will remain in its current status upon approval. The report states, "The application's Special Zone requests would reduce the minimum frontage of each of the lots, allow an Accessory Dwelling Unit to exceed 75% of the ground floor area of the primary dwelling unit and recognize the setbacks of the existing structure. The Special Zone would also permit the lots to be created with a minimum frontage of 7.79 metres."
At one time an apartment building was planned for this property but unfavourable soil conditions were discovered upon a detailed site analysis, forcing the property owner to shift focus. The property had been rezoned in 2013 to build the apartment building.
According to the report, several community members expressed concerns about the lack of on-street parking in the area due to the nearby dining establishments and overall road safety.
A special committee meeting has been called for 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15 and the tiny home rezoning application tops the agenda.
