West Nipissing could see some tiny houses in the future, if council decides to amend the current by-law governing the minimum build size within the municipality. These minimum build sizes apply to residential zones, not rural or agricultural zones.
Now, the minimal build is 70 square meters – about 754 square feet – and people can apply for a minor variance if they have plans for something smaller.
However, Councillor Kaitlynn Nicol put forward a motion to do away with the variance application and allow smaller builds within the by-law. “Residents have requested council look at the possibility of amending by-law 2014-45 to allow small / tiny homes in West Nipissing,” Nicol’s motion noted, and such revision “works in favour of environmental and energy use initiatives.”
See: Province promoting building of 'tiny homes'
Indeed, tiny homes, which often measure around 400 square feet, “require significantly less resources to construct and create less land use disturbance,” Nicol continued, adding these houses “consume a minimum amount of energy.”
Cheaper to build and cheaper to run, smaller houses appeal to people who “neither want nor need a larger home that burdens them with cleaning, maintenance and energy costs for empty unused space.”
Councillor Georges Pharand mentioned that while researching the Ontario Building Code, the province “allows as small as 17.5 square meters,” or about 188 square feet, for a home “when it’s a combined space without interior walls.”
Whether or not West Nipissing will put new minimums on its minimum build rules is still up for discussion, as tiny homes “is a trend that has gained in popularity,” Pharand said. “If people want to live in a tiny home, I don’t see why we should be standing in their way.”
Council agreed, and asked staff to prepare more information on the topic, which is timely, as currently the municipality’s official plan is under review as well. The municipality also plans to conduct much public consultation. More information is set to come to the next council meeting on September 17.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
