Carriage house secondary suite shot down by council

By Jason Luciw - Kelowna Capital News -

Some Lakeview Heights residents are cool to the idea of carriage houses in their neighbourhood, saying they don’t want it to become a carbon copy of Kelowna’s North End. The sentiment arose during a public hearing earlier this week as Westside council was receiving input about proposed rezoning to permit a secondary suite at a residence on Westbrook Drive. Upon closer review, council felt the suite was actually a second home. Resident West Munson said he was not opposed to secondary suites, but the application was for a carriage house. “These people want to build a two-storey house in the backyard of a single-family house,” Munson said. A carriage house would not fit into the existing single family neighbourhood, he said. “In Kelowna, carriage houses are the growing thing because it’s infill so they can have a higher density. But, it’s not occurring in established (single-family) neighbourhoods. It’s occurring in older neighbourhoods, neighbourhoods in transition. Lakeview, in my opinion, is not a neighbourhood in transition.”He believes secondary suites should only be allowed closer to Boucherie Road, where duplexes already exist. “Boucherie would be a more appropriate place for somebody who wanted to start increasing the density in the neighbourhood,” he said.

Westbrook Drive resident Ivan Palser said when he bought in the area 37 years ago, it was a neighbourhood full of single-family homes, and he would like to see it stay that way. According to municipal staff, the carriage house under consideration could technically be seen as a secondary suite for two reasons under an existing bylaw. It could be considered a suite because the second residence would be connected to the main home by a breezeway. Plus, the size would be equal to 40 per cent of the primary residence’s footprint. But, council doubted the secondary suite bylaw was ever intended to allow for a carriage house because it would not be in keeping with the character of most Westside neighbourhoods. Council agreed the bylaw in question should be reviewed. And, until that happens. suites taking the form of carriage houses should not be allowed. Coun. Carol Zanon called carriage houses a “radical departure” from the intention of the bylaw to allow secondary suites. “I think council needs time to study that and get some information and formal knowledge on this. So at this time, I feel this is not appropriate,” Zanon said.

Coun. Duane Ophus, a Lakeview Heights resident, said the Westbrook Drive secondary suite would not conform to the character of the existing neighbourhood. “I have a strong sense of reservation to the changing of the character of a subdivision in Lakeview Heights in such a major way,” he said. “This application is the creation of a subdivision to construct second homes on these properties, through the back door.” Ophus added he had no problem with secondary suites that are part of a main dwelling in the right neighbourhood. Before carriage houses are allowed, major consultation with neighbours should be required, he concluded. Couns. Doug Findlater and Gord Milsom both said secondary suites provided essential affordable housing for students, aging parents and young families, but the one in question would be a second house on one property. Rick McIntyre spoke on behalf of the applicant, his parents. McIntyre said they wanted to build the suite so they could retire and live in the smaller home while family members occupied the primary residence.Council later unanimously rejected the proposed suite during the council meeting that followed the public hearing.