Laneway Homes in West Vancouver

To encourage affordability in West Vancouver, city council has approved the use of Coach homes. This is the equivalent of laneway homes in Vancouver. This will help homeowners be able to rent out separate houses on their property to decrease their mortgage and encourage renters in West Vancouver. Residents called for greater housing options to meet changing community needs.“We really need the development community to step up with some projects,” Mayor Smith said, following a unanimous council vote in support of exploring the infill housing option.But the step is a small one and — as is apparent in the wording of the housing report that council merely voted to receive — it’s one of very many small steps in a long process.An examination of coach houses is identified in West Vancouver’s Housing Action Plan as one of five key actions for addressing limited housing choice and affordability in 2013.Key componants of this work is a community engagement program that includes:

• background information on housing and neighbourhood issues in West Vancouver along with regular project updates on westvancouver.ca/housing;
• a discussion paper on the ‘coach house’ experience in other communities;
• information displays at District venues;
• presentations to community groups;
• a moderated panel discussion and public forum on coach houses at the Kay Meek Centre (May 8); and
• opportunities for questionnaire feedback.

West Vancouver is considering allowing coach houses to support greater housing diversity and affordability. The District receives regular inquiries from residents of all areas of West Vancouver wishing to build a coach house on their properties, because they see this as an opportunity to:

• downsize into a smaller housing unit on their own property;
• provide self-contained accommodation for an elderly parent, adult child, or on-site caregiver;
• design a custom housing unit for a family member with special needs (e.g., limited mobility); or
• create a detached secondary suite to maintain the privacy of the principal dwelling unit.

The main concern voiced by residents were the potential changes to the character of West Vancouver neighborhoods. Council replied with a "don't know until you try" response.