Housing trends

Infill housing includes new residential development built on unused or underutilized land. Infill

housing can range from a single house to a multi-unit development. Many North American

cities are reconsidering their housing needs in light of urban growth patterns, major

demographic shifts, and the desire to create more sustainable communities. Politicians,

economists, developers, preservationists, architects, and planners have all generated ideas

ranging from adaptations of suburban sprawl to highly dense urban areas and parks. Laneway

infill will be part of an urban network and its implementation would entail embarking on a long

plan for existing towns.

In the 1950's the residential landscape was dominated by single-. They comprised 60 per cent

of new construction from 1957 to 1959. In 1954, the launch of the mortgage insurance model

of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation made single-more attainable, growing

demand for new suburban neighborhoods. A significant change took place between 1962 and

1973, with most construction permits (60 per cent) being issued for multi-dwellings. The change

mirrored the postwar economic boom's rapid population growth. High housing demand came

from the generation of the baby boom, born in the late 1940s through the mid-1960s, as well as

two classes of new immigrants: European immigrants in the 1950s, and the massive influx of

immigrants following the implementation of the Economic Point Program in 1967. Multi-

affordability undoubtedly rendered them an appealing alternative to single dwellings. From

1974 to 1982, construction of new multi-fell at a faster pace than single-dwellings, especially

during the mid-1970s recession. In 1974, following a high of 154,123 units in 1973, the number
of new multi-decreased by 40 per cent to 91,989. Between 1974 and 1982, single-and multi-

dwellings represented an equal proportion of new dwellings.

For a number of factors, condominiums have not traditionally been considered a successful

investment in the past, but that picture has since drastically changed. Considering the high

prices of single-family homes, condominiums are becoming more popular among buyers such

as single people, retired couples and small families.

However, they may not be familiar with what choices are available in condominium form for

those home buyers who have ever seen a single-family home as the concept of home

ownership.

In such settings, individuals own the space inside their unit but share an interest in the common

areas they share, such as the property, lobby, hallways, swimming pool, grounds, and parking.

While many condominiums are designed to look like apartments, or are built in high-rise urban

buildings, they are being designed by more and more builders where they can be called

townhouses.

In addition to paying a mortgage, each owner is responsible for charging the condo association

a monthly fee, which is generally referred to as the homeowner's association which consists of

the unit owners. Maintenance, maintenance, holding grounds and building insurance finance

the cost. There is also less privacy than with single-family detached homes. For some people,

communal living is not always desirable, and the level of noise generated by living close to

others can influence some buyers to simply look elsewhere. The greatest problem normally is

about parking for the owners and their guests. However, many condominiums are designed
with their own garages and there are common parking spaces for guests to use. Builders have

overbuilt condominiums and townhouses in some real estate markets, such as Las Vegas and

Florida, and they are being sold at a loss. However, amid economic downturns and issues with

some homeowner's associations, they have kept their interest as an investment in many real

estate markets. Although some of these factors would deter some purchasers from buying

condominiums, it may just be the right choice for others because it suits their lifestyle.

Infill construction is an urban solution to residential, industrial, and leisure space needs.

Historically, alleys have harbored various program styles like schools, small businesses, garages,

parks, gardens, or housing. Generally speaking, these insertions into the urban fabric were

gradual–not based on a city master plan–and adapted to the local neighborhood and property

owners ' needs. They take advantage of a community's pre-existing services, adding a

neighborhood to the service load of only slightly. In addition, laneway infill projects also reflect

a more accessible, small-scale investment in the infrastructure of a neighborhood than most

developers would otherwise create. Many features become apparent when evaluating

incremental laneway projects. Those include the relation to the "host" home, ownership

arrangements, and housing size. Regulatory and economic considerations also influence new-

laneway infill developments. The urban architecture of Hamilton has great potential to

integrate a plan to infill laneway homes. The city has more than 70 kilometers of laneways,

most of which are understaffed. Hamilton and other mid-cities should strategically incorporate

laneway housing to better meet potential housing needs— Provincial forecasts have cited

Hamilton for up to 80,000 new households over the next 25 years. Implementing a strategy that

integrates laneway infill would encourage typological diversity, foster more sustainable
lifestyles and foster the development of enduring cities. Community Greens is an American

non-profit organization that helps communities reclaim abandoned parts of urban

neighborhoods.39 Partnerships with local organizations turn underused backyards and

neglected alleys into esthetic and usable public green spaces owned, maintained and valued by

residents living around them. If well-designed and well-managed, community greens can have

remarkable advantages including improving neighborhood sense, providing healthy and usable

play space for children, increasing property values, and adding ecological resilience by storing

stormwater and reducing the impact of urban heat-insula. A laneway house usually ranges from

600 to 900 square feet, costs between $350,000 and $400,000 to build, and could be rented

out for around $3,000 a month.

Public support of incremental intensification, particularly laneway housing, has been minimal in

recent decades. One reason for this may be what Michael Martin defines as a suburban

complex: as more people grow up in the suburbs there becomes “a nation of consumers who

are unlikely to have ever lived in a dwelling backing up to an alley”3 and thus there is difficulty

in understanding the potential for this form of development. There have been many trends in

Canadian society which are prompting a new look at these underused spaces. Some of these

trends include population growth, increasing immigration, and decreasing household size.

While municipal and provincial governments have begun to encourage intensification with

regulation such as the Greenbelt Act and the Places to Grow Act in Ontario, other factors such

as the local economy and bylaw reform also play a major role.
So far as the utilities go, the facilities of your laneway suite must come from your lot's principal

dwelling. It is one of the key reasons that the City is banning properties of laneway suites from

being severed.

Garbage collection will continue to be in front of your property from the main street, with no

separate laneway service. So, you'll have to remember how potential tenants can bring their

trash, recycling, and compost from the laneway suite to the street front of your property while

preparing for your laneway suite.

Laneways can't accommodate fire engines in Toronto, so the entrance to your planned laneway

suite must be within 45 m of a public road. This is not an issue for detached and semi-detached

houses (which usually have at least 1 m wide side yards that can provide access to the laneway

suite) but it does make it a little more difficult for row houses without access to side yards.

Although there is no limitation on row houses in the City's zoning reform, part of your laneway

project's building code enforcement process would include coordinating with the City and

emergency services to show that your laneway suite can be properly accessed in the event of a

fire or other emergency. If you are building a laneway suite on your house, then there is no

parking needed either for your laneway suite, or for the main residence and any other

secondary suites that may be in your lot. Nevertheless, inside the suite itself, or within either of

the appropriate yard setbacks, the laneway suite must have two parking spaces for the bicycles.

No connection charge if there is already a residential dwelling on the property. You are

responsible for any necessary construction costs to extend the servicing lines to the laneway

house. You may need to upgrade the water line, which is charged at-cost. Contact Development
Services to inquire about your property. $25 connection fee applies on streets that have an

existing gas main and where the cost to connect is $1,535 or less (Fortis BC charges only $25 for

the first $1,535 in construction costs). Additional fees apply where connection costs exceed

$1,535, or on streets without gas mains. Contingent on construction costs. For example, a

$200,000 project will entail a fee of $1,855, plus a $600 deposit. Adding a laneway house may

require a service extension. Overhead extensions range from $1,500 to $9,000 or higher.

Underground extensions range from $5,000 to $20,000 or higher.

References

Retrieved from https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/thesescanada/vol2/002/MR43625.PDF

Growing demand for Vancouver laneway homes | Vancouver Sun. Retrieved from

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