Project Update: Summary of Engagement Findings

Engagement on the Family Friendly Housing Policy Update took place over Summer 2024, with opportunities for the community to provide input through email, the discussion forum on this page, and virtual meeting sessions with interest groups and the development community. The feedback gathered was considered as updates were made to the City’s Family Friendly Housing Policy.

What We Heard

• Community and Interest Group Feedback
  • Concerns regarding the limited availability of family friendly units and sizes, as well as the lack of family friendly building features and designs, such as common amenity spaces
  • Support for play areas, green spaces, rooftop patios, and outdoor environments for families and children to gather and play
  • Requests for more and larger in-unit storage for families with children, specifically to accommodate strollers and seasonal items
  • Considerations of intergenerational living options for aging parents and families (e.g. lock-off units)
    
    
• Development Community
  • Consider implementing family friendly unit sizes as a guideline rather than a regulation
  • Explore incentives that will further encourage the inclusion of two- and three-bedroom units in new residential developments, such as allowing accessory lock-off units
  • Adjust the financial feasibility analysis to account for higher construction and parking costs considering current economic conditions

The engagement activities and full summary of feedback can be found here.

Summary of Proposed Policy Updates

• Family friendly design guidelines are provided to encourage consideration of family functionality (e.g. bedroom layout, storage, common amenity).
• Ownership projects are required to include a minimum of 40% two- and three-bedroom units, with at least 15% of total units containing three or more bedrooms,
• Rental projects are required to include a minimum of 30% two- and three-bedroom units, with at least 10% of total units containing three or more bedrooms.

All new multi-unit development projects are required to comply with minimum unit size requirements as specified below:

Staff will present the proposed policy update to City Council at its October 21 meeting. Click here to review the presentation slides, and here to access the Council report and Policy with the full list of proposed updates.