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Infill Housing Phase One: Monitoring

Phase One of the Infill Housing Program was launched in 2017 after considerable community engagement, and includes policies that encourage laneway and carriage houses, and townhouses and rowhouses. These types of housing help increase housing choice in New Westminster, while laneway and carriage houses also contribute to the amount and diversity of available rental housing.

The City is conducting a comprehensive review of Phase One of the Infill Housing Program in order to assess its successes and challenges. As part of this process, we surveyed the community. Thank you for providing your feedback. Visit the Be Heard New West page for project updates and  more ways to comment or ask questions.   
The feedback received through the comprehensive review will be used to help identify recommendations to Council about refinements to the program. This could include changes to the design guidelines, zoning regulations, and/or approval process. Staff may also recommend changes to the Official Community Plan Land Use Designation Map to allow for infill townhouses and rowhouses in more areas of the city.
 

A one-year interim report was presented to Council on February 2, 2019, which included a summary of the first year of the Infill Housing Program. At that time, some zoning changes were made to make the design of laneway and carriage houses, and infill townhouses and rowhouses easier. Read the Council report and Zoning Bylaw amendments to learn more.  

PHASE ONE INFILL HOUSING FORMS

Providing more housing choice is a key focus of the Official Community Plan (OCP). In New Westminster, this means encouraging more ground oriented housing, laneway houses and townhouses. Typically a ground oriented unit has a separate, exterior door that opens directly onto a street or lane (without passing through a common lobby or corridor).

The forms of ground oriented housing that received the most support during the development of the OCP were laneway and carriage houses, and townhouses and rowhouses. These forms are now permitted within the appropriate land use designations and zoning districts.


Laneway and Carriage Houses




Laneway and carriage houses are small, detached, ground oriented dwellings located in back yards. Laneway houses are located on properties that are accessible from a lane. Carriage houses are located on properties without lanes. Laneway and carriage houses can be used for family or as rental units.

Interested in building a laneway of carriage house? Click here to learn more.





Townhouses and Rowhouses



Townhouses and rowhouses are attached, ground oriented units. The units are side-by-side, not stacked. Rowhouses are fee simple developments with parking on each fee simple lot. Townhouses are strata title developments which may have shared or designated parking typically at the rear of the property. Infill townhouse and rowhouse projects provide smaller and fewer units than standard townhouse projects, which helps them fit better in established neighbourhoods. 





Interested in building infill townhouses or rowhouses?