Bradford is set to expand the number of ADUs it permits, but only to the amount required by the province, and not more.
Based on a report from senior planner Mana Masoudi, committee of the whole recommended June 3 that council approve an update to the town’s zoning bylaw to meet provincial requirements to permit two accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on any residential lot in town serviced by water and sewers.
While he favoured being even more permissive, Mayor James Leduc felt the changes would not only “clean up” the bylaw, but also help “tackle” the housing affordability crisis.
“I want affordability,” he said. “I want people to be able to have an opportunity to build housing for their families if they want to do it on their own property.”
In a split decision, five of the four councillors voted in favour of the third and most restrictive of three options suggested by staff, which allows a total of three units (the main dwelling plus two ADUs). Both ADUs can be located within an existing home or one can be in a detached building, but that’s only permitted to be a maximum of four metres tall and, following an amendment from Ward 4 Coun. Joseph Giordano, must be a minimum of three metres from the rear property line.
“I’m not really a fan of ADUs in general,” Giordano said. “I don’t want to have apartments in my backyard, my neighbour’s backyard or all around the town.”
The proposed changes would also require a minimum of 1.2 m on either side of the detached unit, which needs to be a minimum of three metres from the main building.
In addition to the required two parking spaces for the main dwelling, each ADU also requires one additional parking space.
The changes come in response to a report from Feb. 20, 2024, that recommended updating the town’s zoning bylaw — which only allowed one ADU and only inside a single- or semi-detached home — to bring it into line with provincial Bill 23. That passed on Nov. 28, 2022, supersedes local zoning and made changes to the Planning Act to permit two ADUs in addition to the primary unit in single- and semi-detached houses and townhouses, allowing up to three dwelling units total.
Following an April 2 report from chief administrative officer Geoff McKnight, council voted to consider further increasing the number of permitted ADUs to three, for a total of four units per lot, to help with intensification and potentially improve access to federal funding.
As a result, two other options were up for consideration, but neither found enough support around the table.
Option 1 would have permitted as many as four residential units (the main dwelling plus three ADUs) on all residential lots serviced by water and sewers with a maximum height of 5.4 metres for detached ADUs.
Option 2 would have introduce a hybrid model, and permitted as many as either three or four units based on lot-specific criteria, with a maximum height of four metres for detached ADUs. Under this option, four units would have been allowed only on lots that meet a specified minimum frontage and lot area per unit.
Several councillors were opposed to allowing more than the two ADUs the province already allows.
“This is not planning; it’s capitulation,” Ward 6 Coun. Nickolas Harper said. “This council answers to Bradford residents, not housing ministers.”
Giordano went a step further and suggested “many people are licking their lips” waiting for the new zoning so they can purchase properties and start “slapping” ADUs into neighbourhoods.
“It’s absolutely insane,” he said.
Others suggested that was unlikely to happen though, thanks to both physical and financial constraints.
“You’re not going to see a massive proliferation of three ADUs in the R1 zone anyways,” Ward 3 Coun. Ben Verkaik said, echoing advice in the report and noting the lack of space to meet parking and setback requirements on most properties.
McKnight confirmed there are “very limited” opportunities to add multiple ADUs to most lots, and even though the town has permitted ADUs since 2010, there hasn’t been a “huge take up.”
While he acknowledged the difference between a purpose-built multiplex and a home renovated to include ADUs, Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Scott noted that urban Bradford has long had a mix of housing options, including multi-unit buildings, and the “cookie-cutter” homes sprawling “ever westward gobbling up farmland,” are a relatively recent trend.
“For the past say 50 years, we have weaponized planning to exclude people that we don’t want in our neighbourhoods,” he said.
In response to concerns raised by councillors as well as from residents at two public meetings on May 28 and Sept. 10, Masoudi noted in her report that the scale of additional units permitted under the proposed bylaw is modest, incremental and not anticipated to place significant pressure on emergency services, local schools, or water/sewer capacity — the latter of which the town is already working to increase.
Meanwhile, setbacks and parking requirements are intended to prevent negative impacts on neighbourhood character or nuisance to nearby neighbours, while building and fire codes are intended to ensure safety.
Concerns over the need for more transit, recreation facilities and infrastructure in response to the proposed bylaw are already at least partially addressed in the town’s transit plan, leisure services master plan, and will be part of the ongoing growth management plan.
Additionally, community planning manager Alan Wiebe has explained Bill 23 prevents the town from implementing minimum size requirements for ADUs, but those units are still required to include sleeping, cooking and washroom facilities.
Staff plan to propose a bylaw to require mandatory ADU registration based on concerns from both the fire department and bylaw enforcement, according to the report.
Recommendations from committee of the whole are considered for approval at the next regular council meeting.
