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Second suites welcomed in college district, but must be enforced: residents

City staff investigating whether to allow second suites in the area around Georgian College

It's not uncommon to see one house, with a perfectly manicured lawn, next door to a house with knee-high dandelions and other weeds. They speckle several north-end neighbourhoods around Georgian College.

It's this stark juxtaposition that homeowners in the college district want to disappear. 

Amendments to Barrie's Official Plan and zoning bylaw have been proposed to allow second suites within the Georgian Neighbourhood Study Boundary Area, where they currently aren't permitted. 

A public meeting was held this week to allow residents to weigh in. 

Lonsdale Place resident Steve Barker has lived in his home for two decades and has seen the neighbourhood change. 

"The four houses that immediately surround me had owners in them when I moved there and the homes were taken care of," he said. "Now, three of those four properties are rentals with multiple students in them and we call bylaw office all the time. Grass isn't cut. The house next door to me has the eavestrough falling off the house.

"You're focusing on a single neighbourhood to suit the needs of Georgian College," Barker added. "You're not doing this throughout the whole city; there's a borderline to this."

The study's boundary area spans parts of Wards 1, 2 and 3.

"They're all getting packed in there," added Barker, which has led to vehicles parked on the grass and unsightly yards. "The bottom line is, all of us here tonight want a pretty neighbourhood, which reflects a pretty city. You don't want to say, 'Oh, up there by the college, that's the slum'. That's on you guys, not us homeowners who are maintaining our properties."

College officials also believe allowing second suites in the area could potentially address the part of the problem. 

"Permitting second suites wouldn’t directly resolve the matter of absentee landlords or property standards issues, but it would have a positive impact," Brian Muscat, Georgian College's executive director of student and learning services, told BarrieToday on Friday. 

However, Muscat hopes it can also creating safer living conditions for students. 

“Allowing second suites will help increase the number of safe and affordable housing units in the city,” he said. “And allowing these units in the neighbourhoods around the college will also help with the integration of our students into these communities."

Residents who spoke at this week's public meeting said they were in favour of the addition of second suites, as long as the rules are enforced and it curbs the number of absentee landlords and reduces the number of unsightly residences.

"The bylaws that are currently in place mean nothing if they're enforced," said Jeffrey Street resident Scott Harradine. "We need to give our bylaw officers some teeth to enforce the bylaws that a lot of people, and other people before you, have studied hard to come up with."

Harradine noted rentals are a business for some homeowners, and should be treated as such. 

"The people that live in the house that's created a nightmare beside me are not neighbours, they're a nightmare," he added. "But they are someone's customers. You can't have a business in the city in any other capacity without having a licence." 

Second suites are defined as self-contained units with a kitchen and bathroom within homes or converted detached garages. They are often used as rental properties and must be registered with the city.

Lifting restrictions on second suites came in response to concerns from by neighbourhood residents and council.

Michelle Banfield, the city's manager of growth and developmen, said there's no firm number available for the number of unregistered second suites in the area because they aren't tracked. 

In 2015, when considering second suites, the City of Barrie placed a restriction on creating second suites in the Georgian Neighbourhood Study Boundary Area.

"Second suites were permitted everywhere else in the city, except in this area," Banfield said. "This restriction limits the availability of safe and affordable housing, and staff believes it is time to look at this restriction."

Some second suites have been grandfathered in and are registered with the city. Those figures include 144 in Ward 1, 314 in Ward 2, and 115 in Ward 3. Within the the college boundary area specifically, there are 84 in Ward 1, 20 in Ward 2, and zero in Ward 3. 

Coun. Clare Riepma, whose Ward 1 includes most of the affected area, said the focus needs to be on the people who own the rental properties. 

"The comment I hear all the time is that the students aren't the problem; the students are a great addition to our community," he said. "It's the absentee-landlord issue that seems to be causing much of it. That's the direction we need to go with this, as well."

Matters related to property standards are often the key issue with integrating second suites into a neighbourhood, but aren't limited to second suites or absentee landlords, Banfield said. Common complaints relate to parking and aesthetics. 

"You can ruin a property faster than you can keep it up," said Barker. "That's what's happening and it's every other house. ... All they're trying to do is cash out on that house. Now they have to pack more people into it to get the same result they got 20 years ago (when house prices were less)."

In the ensuing years since 2015, there have been several legislative changes regarding second suites. 

"The city's current planning policy parameters for second suites need to reflect those changes," Banfield said. "This is an ever-changing target and there are lots of things going on ... and our city documents need to address these."

City staff is aware of many unregistered second suites in this area, which could result in unsafe housing because officials have not confirmed building code or fire requirements.

Coun. Jim Harris asked what other college towns do to handle any similar housing issues. 

"Every bylaw and anything that deals with people, there's not going to be a right answer," Banfield said. "Like a lot of people, we're going to explore all of the options that are available. We are no different, and that's what we're going to do, as well."

In 2017, a licensing bylaw for rental properties was reviewed by city staff, but it was not pursued further, because Banfield said there are other municipal bylaws that would cover similar concerns. 

"As it relates to neighbourhood integration, we are looking at all available options," she added. 

Mayor Jeff Lehman called it a "legalize-and-regulate approach, to say we have a problem and we've got a whole bunch of second suites all over the place. If we legalize them, we can regulate them, and eliminate some of the problems associated with them." 

Lehman asked that bylaw enforcement be addressed in the upcoming staff report on the issue. 

City staff hope to have a report ready for council in the fall on the proposed amendments.


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Raymond Bowe

About the Author: Raymond Bowe

Raymond is an award-winning journalist who has been reporting from Simcoe County since 2000
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