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Interest shown in carriage houses

The municipality’s development services department has received two permit applications for carriage houses.

The municipality’s development services department has received two permit applications for carriage houses, now that the zoning bylaw has been modified to allow such construction.

Municipal planner Ian McIntosh said carriage houses, or small secondary homes on existing single family lots, will provide housing solutions for some.

“They are affordable,” he said. “There is no land cost and little servicing cost.”

Because of access requirements, carriage houses must be rented and the site of a carriage house cannot be subdivided from the property.

McIntosh said each property needs its own driveway access.

This access does not exist since carriage houses share the same access as the principal house on the property.

Carriage houses can be as large as 60 square metres, or the size of a two-car garage. In some cases, carriage houses are built on top of an existing freestanding garage, although it is also possible to convert a garage or other building to serve as a carriage house.

In addition to the two new applications, McIntosh said others have expressed some interest in adding a carriage house to their properties. He said some Summerland properties already have carriage houses which need to be made legal.

Elsewhere in the Okanagan, carriage houses are allowed in Kelowna but not in Penticton.

 



John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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