The Village of Lytton announced that it has passed Building Amendment Bylaw No. 711 2022 which includes Part 24, where the construction of new Part 3 and Part 9 buildings shall comply with SAFERhome Standards to ensure all new homes are built to the universal standard of design and build homes that easily support a much broader range of people with different abilities to fully use and fully enjoy their homes.
SAFERhome Standards provides the only building standard and certification program in Canada that anticipates the needs of British Columbians, from young children to grandparents, through the application of universal design where anyone can age-in-place and live healthier lives in an ergonomically safer and electronically pre-prepared home. SAFERhome’s 15-point building standard ensures homes include simple and practical design features like:
The adoption of the SAFERhome Standards as compared to current housing units presents significant potential cost savings to the Village of Lytton and its residents in the following areas:
This initiative is sponsored by the not-for-profit SAFERhome Standards Society, which since 2004 has spearheaded the adoption of Universal Design principles to the forefront of the housing sector in Canada and permanently transforming the built environment so anyone regardless of their age, size, ability or mobility can enjoy their home. With over 1,800 homes built to the SAFERhome Standards, our partners like BC Housing are building more universally designed housing than any other housing developer in the world, influencing the residential construction industry and future-proofing all BC Housing-funded projects by including the SAFERhome Standards in their 2019 Design Guidelines and Construction Standards.
SAFERhome Standards has also received support and funding from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s National Housing Strategy Demonstrations Initiative, where two low-carbon and high-performance homes are being donated to both the Village of Lytton and the Lytton First Nation that features SAFERhome’s Universal Design Standards and the latest green building technology by Nexii Building Solutions.
Jan Polderman, Mayor of Lytton, says: “Our Council has envisioned being a leader when building back Lytton. We have supported a vision to rebuild with care and thoughtfulness in welcoming everyone regardless of their age, size, ability or mobility to enjoy their home by introducing a new building bylaw to address this and to become the first universally designed community in North America.”
Larry Clay, Chairperson of SAFERhome Standards Society, says:
“A community’s health and wellness begins in our homes, and today the Village of Lytton is truly an exemplar of the type of innovation, inclusivity and forethought that is so needed in today’s changing housing needs. We have much work to accomplish and look forward to working with the Village of Lytton to ensure their leadership in universal design is a resounding success and example for all other municipalities in BC and across Canada.”