On Monday July 28 Calgary city council approved a pilot project that will provide financial incentives for homeowners to bring secondary suites up to code.
Council voted 8-6 in favour of the program which has been delayed numerous times by some aldermen since the idea was first broached by the mayor during the civic election last fall.
“What this pilot will demonstrate is the difference between secondary suites and illegal suites” says Ald. Druh Farrell who voted in favour of the plan. According to Farrell illegal suites are often poorly maintained and don’t conform with building codes whereas secondary suites do. City official have estimated there could be as many as 50000 illegal suites in Calgary.
The project will offer homeowners up to $25000 to aid in the costs of building a secondary suite including construction and zoning. It will apply to both new and existing secondary suites.
More secondary suites are needed in the city to help out seniors and the growing number of working poor who can’t afford more expensive living spaces says Farrell. “It’s also the most effective short-term solution. We can start addressing this right away.”
The project was one of the solutions included the city’s application for provincial funding to address homelessness. In April the Alberta government put $196 million into affordable housing with more than $60 million of that going to Calgary.
“The concerns we’ve been hearing from communities is the lack of maintenance of properties” says Farrell. “With secondary suites that follow certain rules we can address those.” (TH)
