Adding a new small housing unit detached from the main home is a very viable means of increasing density while minimizing disruption to established communities. This is a form of Gentle Density which defines the sweet spot between low-and high-density development.
While some cities are considering allowing three or four homes to be built on existing lots or encouraging more multi-unit development to achieve higher density, it has often been met with significant local citizen pushback, sometimes referred to as NIMBYism. Backyard Suites provide a unique opportunity to bring gentle density into the existing neighborhood, with less of the perceived negative consequences. This form of gentle density brings the benefits of smarter growth, including easy access to amenities, safer streets, and a variety of housing types, to established communities.
The Regina & Region Home Builders’ Association has long advocated for Backyard Suites as a permitted use in our new and existing neighbourhoods in Regina. We applaud City Council and City Administration taking the courageous step to make this type of building form now a possibility to happen throughout Regina.
Backyard Suites are almost non-existent in Regina, but could provide many benefits to the homeowners like:
- Provide Housing for Extended Family: Provide Housing for Extended Family – In Canada and the US research shows over half of backyard homes are set up for family members providing affordable yet separate housing for their young adult children starting out in life or starting their own families. They are also ideal for elderly parents who want to live independently and defer the high cost of senior complexes as long as possible yet be close enough to family for help.
- Create Extra Income: Some homeowners use their Backyard Suites to generate income from renters to help with their mortgage or to create retirement income. The also create additional revenue for the municipality.
- Allow Aging-In-Place: Backyard Suites create more opportunities for Aging-In-Place – Backyard Suites let kids who grew up in a neighbourhood, stay there. And when empty nesters are ready to downsize but want to stay in the neighbourhood they love – they can just move into the Backyard suite and rent the main house or let their kids move into it, and even trade rent reductions for services like yardwork, vacation-watch, chauffeuring, etc. According to Canadian Mortgage Trend recent research, 9 out of 10 Canadians want to be able to live out their retirement years in their own property.
- Boost Property Value: Additionally, property’s resale value can increase well above the cost of building the back yard home. Research also shows that well-integrated Backyard Suites will increase the average property values in the neighborhood and any suggestion otherwise is incorrect.
There are significant community benefits as well:
- Add Affordable Rental Housing: Backyard Suites provide reasonably priced rentals in single-family neighbourhoods closer to amenities, jobs, and an urban lifestyle.
- Makes Laneways Safer: With more ‘eyes’ on the laneway, Backyard Suites help to make alleyways safer places.
- Retain Neighbourhood Character: Built in the backyard and designed to look like a small version of the main house, Backyard Suites don’t affect the curb appeal and character of older single-family neighbourhoods.
- More Energy Efficient: Small homes, by virtue of their size, use less resources and are nearly as energy efficient as condos. Add in green-build features, energy efficient appliances and heating systems, and even solar panels, and they are ultra-green. This form of housing aligns spot on with the Energy and Sustainability Framework passed by this City Council.
- Optimize Collective Infrastructure: Backyard Suites optimize collective infrastructure by channeling some level of urban development into areas that are already served by public infrastructure.
- Add Density to Accommodate Regional Growth: As more people move to Regina over the next 25 years. Backyard Suites are a human-friendly way the city can gently increasing the density of single-family neighbourhoods to provide housing and accommodate regional growth.
Cities like Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver along with the majority of Ontario municipalities have benefited from the significant level of allowable Backyard Suites.
While there are restriction on height, maximum size and owners need to choose between a secondary suite or a backyard suite (both will not be allowed) we are confident the newly designed regulations will ensure this form of housing is well integrated into the existing neighborhoods. Backyard homes can be a key element in policies that transition towards a more sustainable City.
