Existing homes can add basement and other living spaces, Scott Robinson says

Last in a three-part series

Housing advocate Scott Robinson foresees a future in Niagara-on-the-Lake in which scores of existing homes sprout new, secondary units to provide living space for seniors, singles and anyone else in need of an affordable place to call home.

Simply put, NOTL needs to build more affordable and attainable housing options – and soon, he says.

And he thinks the most efficient way to increase housing density is for existing homes to add more secondary suites and accessory dwelling units.

• Read part 1 in this series, “Rental costs are high, supply is scarce in NOTL,” here and part 2, “One-bedrooms don’t really exist in NOTL, says realtor,” here. 

An accessory dwelling unit is a separate living space, such as a basement apartment or converted garage, with essential amenities.

“We can build attainable housing everywhere. Because we need to build attainable housing everywhere,” Robinson told The Lake Report.

He isn’t backing down and hopes to push NOTL council to encourage more such housing alternatives.

Living in areas like the heritage district and Chautauqua is expensive because those neighbourhoods are unique and special, he said.

“So Niagara-on-the-Lake will remain expensive compared to other Ontario places, unless we add (more) housing (in) special places,” he said.

Adding secondary dwelling units would give young adults or aging-in-place seniors a lower-cost option. 

Dan Romanko, managing partner at Better Neighbourhoods Inc., agrees.

“I think the issue is that there’s not a lot of choices or diversity of housing typologies in Niagara-on-the-Lake,”  he told The Lake Report. 

Such units could allow residents to downsize without moving.

“If they had to live in a suite on-site, they could actually rent out the house” and live in the secondary unit, Romanko said. 

Robinson stressed that if developments such as secondary dwellings or duplexes do not get built, then much larger projects, like six-storey buildings, will be required to meet people’s housing needs. 

Secondary suites can’t be short-term rentals

He noted that if someone in your neighbourhood builds a secondary suite, it cannot automatically be turned into a short-term rental.

Town spokesperson Lauren Kruitbosch confirmed that.

The town’s bylaw says, “Only buildings that have been occupied as a single-detached dwelling for a minimum of four years shall be eligible for a licence” as a short-term rental.

Robinson grew up in NOTL and now works as a development co-ordinator at British Columbia builder Ledingham McAllister.

He previously worked for  John Hawley’s Traditional Neighbourhood Developments Inc., which developed the Village in NOTL.

Last year, before Bill 23 came out, Robinson made a plea to councillors, urging them to legalize basement apartments. 

Council unanimously voted to send Robinson’s recommendations to staff for review and for the ideas to be considered as the town reviews its zoning bylaw.

However, the passage of Ontario’s Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, helped make Robinson’s request a reality.

Now, residents don’t need to apply for zoning amendments to build an accessory dwelling or secondary suite.

All that’s needed is a building permit. 

Residents can have “up to three units per lot in most existing urban residential areas,” said Kirsten McCauley, NOTL’s director of community and development services.

The process is a bit different if residents want to make changes in the heritage district. 

Properties still must have a heritage permit, McCauley said.

Robinson expects that if an owner does “renovations on the interior that don’t change the designation of why it was a heritage property, then it would go through the heritage review and would likely be approved.”

There are some exceptions, such as buildings that have heritage designation for specific use reasons and therefore must remain unchanged, he said.

This could help create more housing options in Old Town, without affecting the appearance or heritage designation, he added.

Since Bill 23 became law in November, McCauley said the town has received a number of inquiries about accessory dwelling units, but none have been approved yet. 

Robinson would like to see the town and council embrace secondary suites and accessory dwellings.

“Council also needs to set the tone that they want this,” he said.

He plans to go before council in April and express his concerns.

More options than secondary units

Other municipalities have information pages on their websites dedicated to additional dwelling units and that’s something Robinson would like to see in NOTL.

McCauley said that’s coming. “We are going to look at putting together some information up on our website about different residential units,”  she said. 

“Kind of like an FAQ of information for people who are looking for more detail about that,”  she added.

Romanko said NOTL has “a number of underdeveloped properties that could be severed off or renovated to provide additional housing units.”

He realizes there are concerns surrounding intensification and density in NOTL, but there’s also an opportunity to transform underutilized spaces, like old schools.

“With respect to Niagara-on-the-Lake, I can appreciate the sensitivity around good urban design,” he said.

“And from our perspective, you can have density and still have very good attractive, walkable streets and neighbourhoods,” he added. 

Jeffrey Sinclair, the homelessness action plan adviser for the Region of Niagara, said that while secondary suites are good options, they aren’t the only ones and won’t replace the need for purpose-built rentals.

“It’s one of a number of options,” he said. 

The region often works with local municipalities when non-profits or private developers want to look at affordable housing options, he said.

When that happens, municipal staff will talk to the region to see how they can work together. 

“Those kinds of conversations are really, really important for any community that’s looking to build affordable housing,” he said.

There are also some communities that have a designated group looking at affordable housing or attainable housing, he said.

He believes that if there is a need for affordable housing, municipalities must take that into consideration and follow the necessary steps to address it.

Core housing need exists, even in affluent NOTL

Though the need in Niagara-on-the-Lake is small, there is a need.

As of 2021, there were 26,000 households across Niagara experiencing core housing needs, Sinclair said.

According to Statistics Canada, renters were more likely than owners to be in need of core housing.

NOTL has about 460 households in need, which represents fewer than 2 per cent of the households across Niagara, Sinclair said.

A household with housing needs could be spending 30 per cent or more of its pre-tax income on shelter, according to Bethlehem Housing and Support Services. 

Out of the 460 households, about 337 are home to one person.

These people would benefit from studio or one-bedroom options, like accessory dwelling units, Sinclair said in an email to The Lake Report.

There also were 446 households earning less than $40,000 per year and unable to afford more than $995 per month in rent. 

“Deeply affordable units that are well below the average market rate for Niagara-on-the-Lake would be required to meet the need for this population,” he said. 

Compared to some municipalities, NOTL is fairing well, but there’s a need in every community, says Sinclair.

“Another big piece is just all of us being open to the various partnerships and relying on each other,” he said. 

“Because no one group or municipality is going to sort out our affordable housing crisis on their own,” he added.