SURREY — Election season has already begun here in Surrey and with that comes the inevitable debate on secondary suites, an issue that has plagued this city for decades.
The topic was up for discussion on the Bill Good radio show last week, with residents and politicians weighing in on how bad the situation has become, and ideas on how to solve the ongoing problem.
Click here to email us your ideas on how to deal with illegal suites.
Longtime Surrey resident Kathy Martin joined the conversation and spoke of her experience with suites.
A neighbour of hers added multiple suites in their home, she says, but when city bylaw would come in to investigate, the homeowner would simply remove the stoves - therefore deeming his suite not a suite. And so it remained.
She is frustrated to no end by how little she's seen the city tackle the issue. Martin says she's repeatedly called and emailed the city to report suites, and today, they still exist.
(Our July 28th, 1993 edition of the Now - shown above - lead with a story of the city cracking down on illegal suites. Twenty-one years later, the issue is still top of mind for many Surrey residents.)
Coun. Barinder Rasode, who is considering a run at the mayor's chair, has also weighed in. She says the city has been grappling with the issue for 35 years, and as of the end of March, there were 25,286 registered secondary suites and 1,033 registered coach homes.
But Rasode believes there are thousands more and says they are "wreaking havoc on some of our neighbourhoods." She points to on-street parking nightmares, serious fire and building code hazards as well as frustration over nuisance activity and people not paying their fair share for services.
The City of Surrey has introduced a $1,000 fine for unregistered suites, which led to an increase in registration, but Rasode argues the city needs to do more.
In a blog post, Rasode proposes her solutions to the issue.
"We have bylaw officers specifically dedicated to the issue, but we need to strengthen the team and they need to be aggressively enforcing our bylaws. We also need owners to start properly screening their tenants and taking responsibility for the actions that take place under their roof," she writes.
Rasode also proposes the need to lobby senior levels of government to provide grant funding to applicants to help bring suites up to safety and building code standards.
As well, she said she's put forward a proposal to begin a pilot permit project for street parking and opening up school parking lots in neighbourhoods struggling with the issue.
"I believe that if we create more affordable housing options, increase education about the laws, and enhance targeted enforcement, we can make out communities more livable and finally get Surrey's illegal suite issue under control," Rasode writes.
Former mayor Doug McCallum, who is once again eyeing the city's top spot, says he supports Surrey's policy of one suite per home.
McCallum says they provide affordable housing in the city and often allow families to purchase homes they wouldn't otherwise be able to afford to without a mortgage helper.
He says problems arise when homes have multiple suites. McCallum claims that's when things such as parking and noise become a nuisance.
When it comes to parking problems, he says there are many potential solutions, such as two-hour parking timelines or residentonly parking.
McCallum proposes a bylaw force that includes fire and police, which would be deployed to close down multiple suites so only one per house remains.
Under that plan, he says he'd involve an affordable housing committee to ensure those who live in the dwelling receive accommodation after it's shut down.
As well, McCallum would like to get tougher on final inspections. If there's evidence a home has been wired in for multiple suites, not just one, he'd like the city to shut it down.
Coun. Linda Hepner, Surrey First's mayoral candidate, supports one suite per home and agrees the issue arises when multiple suites are found in a single-family dwelling.
"This is a legacy of McCallum's era," she added.
Hepner said the city has already done much to combat the issue. First, the city eliminated coach homes. Then the city replaced the RF-9 zone with the RF-10 zone, which ensures parking for four vehicles.
Hepner said that ensures that whenever a home with a suite is built, there is enough on-site parking. The city also widened road allowances, she said.
She said the real solution comes down to affordable rental housing in the city, to ensure those moving out of illegal suites the city shuts down have somewhere to go.
Hepner was glad to see a development application before the city for new rental stock.
"For the first time in the last 25 years of the city we actually have a project on the books to build rental stock."
While she's glad to see the one application, she said it's her understanding that rental developments are not economical for developers.
Recognizing that, she said the city could look at a "developer lift" to encourage more rental stock.
"Maybe instead of four storeys, we'll give you a lift to five if you make it rental stock," she said, meaning the additional floor or floors the city allows would be dedicated rental units.
"I don't support multiple suites in homes and it's an ongoing problem," Hepner noted. "But I do support families and I want to make sure they have somewhere to go."