Town begins debate to rescind garden and garage suite bylaw

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Town of Strathmore council is revisiting its Garden and Garage suites bylaw, and debating whether to rescind regulations which were finalized in 2024. 

Council had directed town staff, Feb. 19, to bring forward a report to the March 12 meeting a report on garden and garage suites. This was presented by Chuck Proctor, manager of development services with the town.

“A lot has changed between 2021 and 2025. We are on the cusp of massive growth; we have already seen some multi-unit housing on Centennial Avenue started; we have got at least three or four more multi-unit housing projects in different stages of development; we have the Ranch subdivision ready to do; Edgefield is working towards building permits and approvals on that; we have the north end of Strathmore Lakes,” said Mayor Pat Fule. “To me, the housing environment has changed and I do not see the necessity that I once saw and I have paid attention to the petition that has gone around and I have paid attention to residents who have reached out to me personally.”

The town’s land use bylaw was amended in 2024, adding garden and garage suites as a discretionary use to several low-density residential districts within the borders of the Town of Strathmore. 

Discussions regarding the implementation of regulations for garden and garage suites had originally begun in 2021. 

Currently, approximately 20 per cent of properties qualify to be approved by the development authority to develop accessory dwellings. 

The town has received no applications to develop garden suites on existing residential properties in the last 10 years. 

Administration presented to council, among the barriers to constructing garden and garage suites in town is the cost to do so. Either retrofitting an existing structure or developing a new one entirely may be beyond what is financially viable for local residents. 

The majority of similar structures and upgrades which were able to be located within the City of Calgary ranged between $205,000 and $350,000 to develop.

Coun. Denise Peterson inquired into the feasibility about adding a contingency into the bylaw which would bar developers from purchasing pre-existing properties in Strathmore for purposes other than for residential.

Proctor explained added that sort of annotation to the bylaw would be challenging, as changes of land titles within Strathmore are often private affairs and are not known to the town until after the transaction has been completed. 

Fule added it may be seen as potentially controversial and unwelcoming to future developments if the town waited to change the bylaw until interest was being expressed by developers to potentially construct suites on existing residential properties.

Currently, any low-density zoned property throughout Strathmore, not just within the downtown area, if it meets the criteria outlined in the bylaw, would be able to apply for approval to develop an accessory dwelling.

As garden and garage suites are considered a discretionary use, the town’s development authority would review them to ensure they are not interfering with anyone else’s property even if the lot already qualifies for development. 

“Discretionary uses, we take on a case-by-case basis … in staff’s opinion, we would not approve a discretionary use which unduly would interfere with the amenities of the neighbourhood or materially interfere or affect the use, enjoyment, or value in neighbouring properties and land,” said Proctor. 

If the regulations are removed from the bylaw, anyone may still apply to develop. However, the decision would go through council as opposed to through the development authority.

The Town of Strathmore received a petition, August 2024, from Claude Brown, a local resident, containing approximately 600 signatures requesting the town explore repealing the bylaw. 

Coun. Brent Wiley motioned for council to direct administration to prepare a land use bylaw amendment removing the garden and garage suite uses from the town’s low-density residential districts and bring it to a future Committee of the Whole meeting.

“I have realized that no amount of new multi-units will solve the housing affordability crisis in Strathmore. As long as Calgary is bringing in 100,000 new residents every year, our housing supply will not keep up with that demand,” said Wiley. “We should not be altering the look and feel of this town to try and solve something that is just completely not able to be solved in that way.”

Wiley’s motion was carried by council in a vote of 4-3 in favour. Councillors Debbie Mitzner, Peterson, and Melissa Langmaid voted against.