Surrey council on Monday approved a city staff recommendation to bring forward bylaw amendments to permit small-scale multi-unit housing on single-family and duplex lots in keeping with provincial government housing legislation – but not without voicing grave misgivings.
"I understand that this is required by the Province and we're just doing that but I'm genuinely worried about this," Coun. Mandeep Nagra said. "I'm concerned. I think council and staff is going to have no control or say how our communities are going to be designed in future so I hope we can control this somehow."
Coun. Harry Bains echoed Nagra.
He said he understands why council has to do this, as well the need for more housing in Surrey.
"Stepping back, I can even understand why the Province would introduce legislation like this but the problem I have is you can't look at one piece of legislation in a vacuum on its own. This will bring problems to the city of Surrey. Lots of families are going to move in and that's amazing and that's great, but where are the kids going to go to school?"
"This legislation worries me and I really hope the Province steps up and funds our hospitals and funds our schools because we need houses, but we also need livable communities and hospitals and schools are integral," Bains said.
Amended bylaws will be up for third reading on June 24, and final adoption on June 26, to meet the June 30 deadline set by the provincial government.
The legislation requires cities to amend their zoning bylaws to allow three to six units on all single-family and duplex-zoned lots. The report indicates the provincial government introduced the small-scale multi-housing (SSMUH) legislation to "enhance the supply and affordability of housing in communities throughout British Columbia."
It will affect more than 72,000 properties in Surrey.
The SSMUH refers to a range of buildings and dwelling units with the aim of providing "more affordable" housing options for middle-income families, examples of which include secondary suites, coach houses, garden suites and house-plexes.
Garden suites are typically located in a rear year, won't require lane access and are proposed for all zones while coach houses are generally built above a garage and accessed by a lane.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said the amount of downloading the provincial government is throwing at cities to shoulder growth is "incredible" and "there needs to be a new deal for cities. There needs to, it's not optional. We end up picking up all the pieces.
"I shudder to think what this is going to do to our cities and it will change the face of every city. But I think what it really concerning to me is the lack or caring about the uniqueness of cities," she said. "It just seems to me that this is going to be so challenging for us to keep some of that planning that has been done so diligently for so many years, keep the look and feel of our cities."
Locke charged the NDP government with being "incredibly disrespectful" to local governments "and I think we will all feel it.
"This is not what I would ever hope to see. For example, I don't know how we're going to see six units per lot on a standard city...we are not Vancouver, we don't have lane-ways I mean to get to the back of a lot, it's different and none of that was considered."
During her mayor's report, delivered earlier in the meeting, Locke noted that the Surrey school district is taking in 2,400 new students every year. "In order to keep up with that growth two new high schools and one elementary school would have to be built annually. Again, that would only address the new students, those 2,400 that are coming to Surrey school district, not even addressing the existing problem."
Locke noted that in recent announcements the provincial government has been "touting" the introduction of new modular classrooms as an answer to overcrowding.
"It pains me to say that, that we're asking for heating and air-conditioning for our students in portables. It's unbelievable."
Locke noted that roughly 7,800 students in Surrey learn in detached portables.
"The Province's mandate to impose on municipalities to build more housing will only make this very bad situation worse," she warned. "As I have said before, the build, build, build statement by the minister goes both ways. If we are going to add more homes at the rate we are the Province has to do its part and build the necessary infrastructure that will accommodate the growth and that means more schools, not modular or fancy portables. They have to build schools."