With the cost of housing beyond the reach of many Manitobans, municipalities are updating their bylaws to allow the development of tiny homes within their borders.
The Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton released a draft of its new zoning bylaw in June to combine two older bylaws that existed pre-amalgamation and to update and modernize land use in the municipality (see the June 27 edition of the Express Weekly News online).
The draft bylaw makes a provision for tiny homes, which must be built in a “cluster,” somewhat akin to a trailer park with all site amenities in place such as roads, sewer and water.
“The municipality wanted our zoning by-law to address modern trends in property development, and interest in tiny homes has been on the rise,” said reeve Brian Johnson. “If the by-law is passed as drafted, Section 8.35 will establish the requirements that a developer must meet if they wanted to address local housing needs by building a cluster of tiny homes on an appropriate site.”
The municipality hired Landmark Planning & Design to oversee the combining and modernization of its two zoning bylaws (one for the former RM of Bifrost and one for the former Village of Riverton), and the land-use planning company is expected to present a final draft to council in the fall for approval. The planning company held an open house last month in Riverton to engage with stakeholders and the public on the process.
Landmark planner Jeff Pratte said the inclusion of tiny home clusters in the municipality’s draft bylaw doesn’t mean that they’re going to be built anytime soon in Bifrost-Riverton. It just means that the municipality will have standards and guidance in place for developers who might be interested in pursuing such a development in future.
“Landmark has seen several municipalities incorporate rules for tiny home clusters to enable them to be built because they’re a type of development that can’t really be done without special permission in a zoning bylaw,” said Pratte.
The City of Brandon and Winnipeg, for example, have made provisions for tiny home villages for particular groups of people such as the unhoused and veterans.
Pratte said he knows tiny home clusters have also been developed in Alberta for veterans, but he’s not aware of the extent to which clusters exist across Manitoba.
And in terms of what tiny homes would cost and whether there would be monthly fees to pay is up to the developer of each cluster, he said. A zoning bylaw does not address these types of considerations.
“The zoning bylaw sets the framework for developments to follow in terms of standards. But in terms of whether [a tiny home] would be rented or owned, that would be up to the particular developer to work out,” he said.
In Bifrost-Riverton’s draft zoning bylaw, tiny homes have to meet all building code requirements and are intended to be permanent, all-season dwellings that cannot be less than 300 square feet and greater than 550 square feet. The minimum site area for a tiny home cluster is two acres, and only 10 homes maximum can be built on each acre to ensure “developers are not cramming dwellings elbow-to-elbow on a site,” said Pratte. The site must also be serviced by water and waste systems, as well as parking, landscaping and incorporate certain aesthetic features.
Pratte said the draft zoning bylaw does not permit tiny home clusters on land designated agricultural. They can, however, be built – and this is only with a council’s approval as they are a conditional use – in zones designated GD (general development), RM (multi-unit residential), RCR (recreation residential) and REC (recreation).
Some of these areas include small rural centres such as Morweena, Framnes, Okno and Mennville, as well as residential and recreational areas along Lake Winnipeg, according the municipality’s land use designation map.
Bifrost-Riverton’s draft zoning bylaw is posted on the municipality’s website. For more information about the bylaw or to provide feedback or concerns, contact Landmark Planning & Design at (204) 453-8008 or email the company: RSVP@landmarkplanning.ca with a subject line “Bifrost-Riverton Zoning Bylaw (ZBL).”
