Proposed bylaw changes could see rooming houses return to Fredericton

Rooming houses could soon be built in Fredericton again.

The city has proposed bylaw changes that would allow for single-room occupancies, otherwise known as rooming or boarding houses.

That type of housing isn't currently allowed under thecity's zoning bylaws, but officials and councillors are hopeful it will help fill some of the gaps in available housing in the city.

"It's going to be a starting point," said Coun. Jason Lejeune, chair of the city's economic vitality committee. "If you're out in the development community or you're a property owner looking at doing something with a property, it's another option on the table."

Rooming houses were banned in the city in 1995. Those that do exist were grandfathered in.The inexpensive rentals have often carried the stigma of being rundown and not well cared for.

"The modern incarnation of the single-room occupancy unit and some of the built form regulations around it with modern building codes will take care of a lot of those issues," said Lejeune.

Under the amendments, a development could have six bedrooms, two bathrooms and one kitchen in a low density area, and up to 24 bedrooms with at least six bathrooms and three kitchens in a high density area.

"We're hopeful that this will be one of the land use opportunities available to not only developers, but just builders and in general community members to tap into to kind of offset and help some of the housing issues that we're currently facing," said Marcello Battilana, the city's manager of community planning.

Lejeune said he had not heard from developers about whether they would be interested in building single-room occupancies, or converting an existing building.

In its report on rooming houses to the city, Dillon Consulting suggested council develop incentives such as property tax abatement or bonus zoning to encourage developers to build single-room occupancies.

Just last year a rooming house on Regent Street, where the average rent was about $325, closed for renovations. About 30 people were evicted.

"The largest growing demographic for housing in Canada is singles," said Lejeune. "Many people are choosing to live their lifetimes as singles now. So there's a lot of demand in that sector, and it'll be interesting to see if the development community comes forward with ideas."

The proposed changes will also give final approval of a rooming houseto the planning advisory committeeinstead of going through city council. That way, the process would take one month instead of three.
The proposed changes will go to the Fredericton affordable housing committee and the planning advisory committee for approvalbefore going to city council for a final vote.