Going 'coach' makes sense

The City of North Vancouver has bravely put forward the idea of allowing homeowners to build secondary residences, or coach houses, on their properties knowing full well the outcry that such a move would create within the community.

Sadly an impasse was reached during council on July 20 and the discussion has been put on hold for the moment. It’s critical that talks begin again.

A coach house as defined by the city as a detached secondary suite built as a separate building on a single-family lot (RS). The suite cannot be strata titled and hence cannot be sold independently. The concept is to allow a homeowner the advantage of a mortgage-helper or place for a family to grow with older children or aging parents. Coach houses are one welcome solution to inevitable density problems in our future.

The facts are simple and irrefutable. We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. More and more people flock to our community and put a huge demand on our very limited housing market. Our rental stock is at near capacity with vacancy rates hovering close to zero. And these demands are getting worse.

In a world where fuel prices are only going up and where the use of such fuels has a profoundly negative effect upon our environment, it makes good sense for people to build their nests close to work and to the infrastructure of their daily lives.

North Shore News