The City of Fernie has implemented big changes to their Zoning Bylaw for Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing.

The Zoning Bylaw was amended in June to meet new Provincial requirements for municipalities to remove barriers to development and encourage increased housing units and housing options by allowing more small-scale, multi-unit housing in residential zones.

Small Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) is a range of housing unit configurations that provide more affordable and diverse options. These include secondary suites in single-family dwellings, detached garden suites, duplexes, and townhomes.

These changes meet the Provincial Government’s requirement for towns with a population of 5,000 or more to accommodate an increased dwelling unit density by the end of June 2024.

Highlights of the changes to the Zoning Bylaw:
• Previous Residential zones of R1, R1SL, R1B, R-WF, R-WF1, R2, R2-RS, are now consolidated and replaced with one zone ‘RSS – Residential – Small-Scale’ Zone.
• The RSS zone allows four (4) dwelling units on properties over 280 square metres in size, and three (3) dwelling units on lots with a minimum size of 250 square metres and a maximum size of 280 square metres.
• Rear and side yard setbacks have been reduced to 1.5 metres.
• Maximum building heights range between 8.0-10.0 metres depending on proximity to property lines. Accessory building maximum heights are 5.0 metres.
• Maximum parcel coverage requirements are now based on a sliding scale of 35%-50% depending on lot size, and number of dwelling units per lot.

The City of Fernie is meeting Provincial mandates while retaining the character of Fernie’s existing neigbhourhoods.