To fourplex or not to fourplex

St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/12/2024 (533 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Nov. 19and 21, city council met for almost 24 hours to debate and ultimately approve a rezoning plan for “malls and corridors”. This plan was a precondition to receiving some of the federal government’s housing accelerator fund grant of $122 million. However, a more controversial rezoning proposal will now take centre stage at city hall, with a vote scheduled in March of 2025.

This is the vote to implement council’s decision in November of 2023 to allow four-unit apartment buildings (fourplexes) on all city lots, with an increase in height limit to 48 feet when those properties are within 800 metres of frequent transit. Council must now decide the details of this approval, or what is meant by “fourplexes where appropriate”. I was one of three councilors to vote against this federal government condition in November of 2023, owing to a lack of detail. I retain an open mind about what the specific plans for fourplexes should be, but I want the public to be aware of this upcoming debate.

I have been frustrated with many aspects of the fourplex proposal to date. We still don’t have a map specifying what properties are within 800 metres walking distance of frequent transit; the new 48-foot height allowance is higher than that in any other city considering fourplexes; the number of units required under this plan has varied in city documents from 288 to 174 to 228 to 138. The public, and city councillors, should have clear numbers to debate.

My own proposal is based on the city’s infill guidelines (which I voted for in June of 2021) and which covered the pre-1960 areas of the city. These guidelines stated that fourplexes should only be on lots with back lanes (or corner lots, in some situations), that lanes should be paved, and that the properties should be at least 50 feet wide. As of this writing, the city staff have not yet made public their recommendations for where fourplexes would “be appropriate”. On a positive note, several members of the city planning staff have spoken to me about my concerns, and I am hopeful that the staff proposal will reflect some of this input.

I anticipate dozens or perhaps hundreds of people will want to speak to council about this issue when the public hearing comes in March. Please get involved and contact my office for more details.