Multi-family zoning changes are necessary

Elmwood

Winnipeg city council is considering zoning changes to allow people to build more and different types of homes in Winnipeg. The city was motivated to take this action by the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund program, which aims to increase housing supply to help with affordability.

The proposed changes include allowing the construction of duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in former single-family-only zones, subject to dimensional standards. As well, people will be able to build up to four storeys tall near frequent locations close to frequent transit, with height capped to 39 feet.

The proposition has certainly generated much discussion. Public info sessions on the changes were held across Winnipeg in May, including one at the East Elmwood Community Centre on May 2. The public hearings were required before council could consider the zoning bylaw change at its special meeting on Monday, June 2.

Winnipeg agreed in principle to allowing fourplexes in single family only zones and four-storeys within 800 metres of transit in December 2023 by signing a HAF agreement. Council was originally going to hold the public hearings in March, but voted to delay them to ensure a change in the federal government didn’t mean the cancellation of the HAF program. Under the HAF agreement, council must vote on the changes by June 12.

The bylaw changes will mean big changes in mature communities such as Elmwood, but not as rapidly as some believe.

Increasing the maximum size and scope of what you can build on a lot does not necessarily mean it makes economic sense to redevelop. Just look at many vacant lots in parts of the city where single-family houses or even duplexes are permitted, but demand is lacking.

Some critics have said the changes are extreme or that the process threatens local democracy. However, in a complex and evolving city, not every development proposal can or should be put through a lengthy hearing process. It is already the case that redeveloping a single-family house often requires no hearings.

In many ways, Winnipeg is behind on the curve on multi-family infill. Minneapolis ended single-family-only zoning in 2019, Calgary voted to allow multi-family homes across the city in December 2023, and Edmonton voted to remove parking minimums for new builds five years ago. Under Winnipeg’s current proposal, one off-street space per home is required.

These changes won’t transform the city overnight, but they will allow more flexibility in growing and responding to changing housing needs over the coming decades.