At Planning and Development Committee (PDC) on April 8th, a report was received for information regarding proposed amendments to better align zoning provisions with existing City policies and streamline the implementation of the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) legislation. 

Staff proposed the following approaches for implementation: 

• R District Consolidation and Rezoning of Current R District Properties to the “R1 SSMUH District”  
  • To implement SSMUH requirements, the existing twelve R Districts (R1 through R12) within the Zoning Bylaw are proposed to be consolidated under one new R1 Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing District (“R1 SSMUH District”). 
• Removing Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and Gross Floor Area (GFA) 
  • The R1 SSMUH District amendments propose to remove FAR and GFA in favor of using height, setback, and lot coverage regulations to define the siting and massing of buildings on a lot, in alignment with Provincial recommendations. 
• Design Guidelines  
  • As compulsory development permit area guidelines are discouraged by the Province, staff propose a new set of voluntary design guidelines are created for SSMUH to provide additional guidance to applicants and builders. 
• Housing Flexibility and Diversity  
  • As increasing housing diversity is a key objective supported by City and Provincial policy, the proposed amendments support flexibility in building forms, dwelling unit configurations, and housing tenure. 

The report also provided an overview of the proposed Zoning Bylaw amendments as they pertain to Off-Street Parking. The changes included the removal of required parking minimums for residential uses within a Frequent Transit Network Area in alignment with the Provincial legislation. 

More information can be found in the full report by City staff.