Innisfail town council carried first reading of a bylaw amendment that would establish a new definition for “stacked-row housing” in the town's land use bylaw.
The bylaw amendment was prepared after a developer proposed to build a multi-unit attached dwelling along 48th Street.
“Currently in our R2 (residential medium density) and R3 (residential multi-density) definitions we allow fourplexes and row housing and apartments. Those work fine until we get to a formal multi-attached dwelling that kind of combines a little bit of all three,” director of planning and development Craig Teal told council during its regular meeting on April 8.
The developer wishes to build a multi-unit dwelling where the entrances to each individual unit may differ. Some might have direct access off the street while others may have entrances from an interior hallway, Teal explained. Without the appropriate definition the town is unable to process an application for the developer, he added.
The bylaw amendment would define “stacked-row housing” as a building holding three or more dwelling units where each unit may have a separate access to outside grade and where dwelling units may be situated either wholly or partially over or under other dwelling units.
The amendment would allow stacked-row housing as a discretionary use in residential medium density zones. Stacked-row housing would be a permitted use in residential multi-family districts.
Council will hold a public hearing on the matter at its regular meeting on May 13 when a more detailed report will be provided by administration.
Council will also hold a public hearing on the same date regarding another land use bylaw amendment that comes following a proposed expansion to a dwelling located at 4908 48th Avenue. That property is located in the central business district where expansion is not allowed on existing dwellings.
But council last week carried first reading of a bylaw amendment that would allow up to 1,500 square feet of combined floor space on all floors above grade on that particular lot as a discretionary use.
