Skip to content

Livable Lanes: Laneway Housing in Hamilton

Edmonton: In particular, while most garden suites are rented at market rate, 25 percent rent for $700 or less.

From Raise The Hammer:

When I completed my architectural masters thesis back in 2008 at the University of Waterloo, it was called “Incremental Intensification: Re-Creating Laneway Housing in Hamilton.” Citing the growing movement taking root in Vancouver, Toronto, and other North American cities, it was an academic study meets how-to guide for how the City of Hamilton could allow this type of affordable, small-scale infill housing.

At the time, average house prices in the Hamilton CMA were around $300,000. Now that prices have almost doubled, this new option for urban infill development is even more vital – and economically viable.

Ideas can take time to root. I have been presenting the idea of laneway housing to our city’s planning department since 2008, and finally this housing typology has become legal: a pilot zoning for Wards 1-4 was approved by Council in September 2018. This article explores how the new pilot zoning can help improve housing options in our city.

MORE from Raise The Hammer