Barrie City Councillors voted unanimously to stiffen rules around secondary detached dwellings, making it more challenging for those looking to build.

“The effect of this will no doubt will mean that there are many neighbourhoods in the city that won’t see these built.” Mayor Jeff Lehman voiced the most notable criticism at Monday night’s virtual meeting, saying second suite apartments in homes are “good solutions for affordable housing.”

“Accessory dwelling units are not a good solution for affordable housing,” Lehman added.

A detached accessory dwelling unit is a type of second suite that is located on the same property but not within the same house, such as a garden suite, granny flat, or any standalone unit that is smaller than the main house.

Council Approves Amendments to Zoning By Law

At Monday’s meeting, councillors approved several amendments to the zoning bylaw, including a minimum rear yard setback of seven metres, not allowing basements and limiting the structure to 45 per cent of the total floor area of the main house.

Since the province loosened rules around detached accessory dwellings in 2019, the issue has pitted residents against developers and neighbours against one another.

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