In 2023, the Province introduced new housing legislation, Bill 44, requiring local governments to allow Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) on all lots zoned for single family or two-family (duplex) dwellings uses, depending on lot size and location.
What is Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH)?
Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing is a type of infill housing, often referred to as the “missing middle”, that allows for multiple dwelling units in a variety of housing forms at a similar scale to existing “single-family” neighbourhoods. Examples of small-scale multi-unit housing can include, but are not limited to a single-family dwelling, secondary suites, duplexes, townhouses, triplexes, fourplexes, and garden suites.
Different combinations of housing forms
One to four dwelling units can be designed in a variety of different ways. Catalogues from the provincial and federal government provide examples of how dwelling units can be configured on a lot.
Examples of Standardized Housing Designs
- The Province has released a catalogue of standardized housing designs.
- The Federal government has released a catalogue of standardized housing designs.
- Small Housing BC includes sample home designs on their website to showcase the potential for different housing configurations.
- There are several local governments in BC that provide ready-to-use designs within their jurisdiction. (e.g. Kelowna, Quesnel, Regional District of North Okanagan, etc.) Check their websites for more information.
Some of these designs can be directly applied to properties in Sidney. Others may require some adaptations to work in the community.
How has Sidney’s Zoning Bylaw changed?
Sidney’s Zoning Bylaw was updated in late June 2024 as required by provincial legislation to allow for small-scale multi-unit housing on all lots that were previously restricted to single family or two-family (duplex) dwellings, depending on lot size and location. Categories like “single-family dwelling”, “two-family dwelling”, “detached secondary dwelling”, and “secondary suite” have been removed from the bylaw and replaced with a more general term of “dwelling unit”. Property owners are now able to build up to 3 or 4 units on their property in a variety of configurations to suit their needs all under the “dwelling unit” use. Building heights, setbacks, and other building regulations have changed to allow for flexibility to build up to the maximum number of dwelling units.
These changes do not require properties to have up to three or four units. It is each property owner’s choice to determine if they would like to redevelop their property or add more dwelling units to it.
Getting started
The first step to take if you are interested in building small-scale multi-unit housing is to identify if a lot is eligible for this tyle of development.
Small-scale multi-unit housing applies to properties currently in the “Neighbourhood Residential” zoning group (which includes zones R1, R1-ESA, R2, R2-ESA, and R3) as well as properties with lot areas less than 750m2 currently in the ‘Multi-Unit Residential’ zoning group (which includes zones RM5, RM6, RM7, RM7-WS). It does not apply to properties zoned R4.
Check the Zoning Map or use the online tool SidneyMap to search for your property address to see if it is in one of the above zones that allow for small scale multi-unit housing.
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