What is infill housing?
Infill housing means developing additional housing in existing neighbourhoods, usually on small lots, overall increasing the density of housing in an area. Infill housing can take the form of secondary suites, carriage houses, garden suites, townhouses, rowhouses, and small multi-family developments.
Housing Action Plan
Part of the Town’s response to the housing crisis, is to encourage the addition of smaller and more affordable homes to our housing supply by promoting infill housing. Many of the ways the Town proposes to increase housing supply are outlined in the Housing Action Plan.
Why infill instead of expansion?
- Expanding infill development means building new homes in already developed neighborhoods and building on underused lots.
- By using existing infrastructure like roads and utilities, we can reduce costs for developers and the Town, as we don't have expand to services to support new developments, which is good for the environment and saves time and money.
- By building different types of homes we can provide more choices for people to live in and make housing more affordable.
- Infill development provides people with housing closer to amenities like parks and shopping, reducing reliance on vehicles and saving residents money in the process.
- The Town is surrounded by properties within the Agricultural Land Reserve, making housing development beyond our boundaries very challenging to pursue.
Accessory dwelling units
Accessory dwelling units, are extra living spaces found on residential properties. They can be attached to the main house (secondary suites) or separate from it (garden suites, carriage suites). In most cases, an accessory dwelling unit is permitted inside, or on the same property as, the primary home.
Accessory dwelling units offer benefits to homeowners and communities. They provide additional rental income, address housing shortages, accommodate multi-generational living, and can increase property value. It's important to understand our local bylaws before installing a secondary suite.