{"id":31090,"date":"2022-04-07T20:37:14","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T00:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=31090"},"modified":"2022-04-07T20:42:14","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T00:42:14","slug":"garages-pool-houses-could-help-families-care-for-seniors-provide-for-youth-amid-housing-crunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/garages-pool-houses-could-help-families-care-for-seniors-provide-for-youth-amid-housing-crunch\/","title":{"rendered":"Garages, pool houses could help families care for seniors, provide for youth amid housing crunch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The process is now underway to determine whether families in Aurora will be allowed to turn buildings on their properties, like garages and pool cabanas, into standalone dwellings to help not only with the housing crunch but also in allowing seniors to age in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Council last week unanimously approved a motion from Councillor Rachel Gilliland calling on staff to review \u201cappropriate locations\u201d in the community that would allow for these \u201caccessory dwellings\u201d to take root on residential properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her motion, Councillor Gilliland said permitting these accessory dwellings might go a long way in giving families options in caring for their seniors and providing a place to live for younger members of the family who are unable to break into the housing market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur OP (Official Plan) doesn\u2019t have any enabling policies to allow for accessory dwellings,\u201d said Councillor Gilliland last week. \u201cSince last summer, I was knocking on some doors and received some emails and calls specifically about this need and it\u2019s evident that we need more options like that for the community, today more than ever. It\u2019s no secret the cost of living has skyrocketed, such as gas, food and energy, we\u2019re seeing a 30-year high of 5.7 per cent inflation rates and possibly even climbing even higher. Most importantly, housing prices [have] ballooned to almost a national average of $900,000 and this is reflecting about a 30 per cent jump in just one year alone. I really don\u2019t know how this next generation of kids are really going to manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are two glaring scenarios that I have heard from residents where families need support now more than ever and options to help fill these housing [gaps] and care for loved ones. I am most certain if this room was filled with young adults over 30 that most would agree they are finding themselves in their parents\u2019 basements. Why? Rent is simply too high. The cost of a home is completely unreachable and student debt combined with the cost of living has become completely unmanageable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe second scenario, which I am sure each family can relate to is [care for elderly parents]. Why are these things happening? They can\u2019t afford a for-profit retirement home, there is no room for subsidized long-term care or they simply don\u2019t qualify.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Options for these accessory units could be found in cabanas, pool houses and garden, carriage, or coach houses, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, she added, is an ideal time for Aurora to consider putting these exemptions in place as the Town continues to update and re-draft the OP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFamilies need options to care for their loved ones and enacting enabling policies for accessory dwellings can offset this demand where deemed appropriate,\u201d she continued, noting that \u201cappropriate\u201d means locations that would offer off-street parking and lot coverage. \u201cThis is not intended to be a blanket policy, rather to identify areas where it would be a good, safe fit. This could identify maybe only three or five per cent of properties, but by eliminating this red tape to allow people to have these immediate options to care and support loved ones is something we can help right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a view shared by Council, including Councillor Sandra Humfryes who said going down this road would suit many families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just want to make sure it is done properly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the perspective of Councillor Harold Kim, there is little debate that \u201ccreativity\u201d is needed to add \u201cmuch needed livable space in any municipality \u2013 but proceeding should be done with caution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVarying municipalities have initiated this initiative with varying degrees of success and acceptance by local residents,\u201d he said. \u201cWe always like the idea of having a park and more intensification in theory, but in reality, some people may not go for it when it is happening in their back yard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Councillor Kim sought assurances that full public consultation would take place, assurances that were given by Director of Planning Marco Ramunno.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Mayor Tom Mrakas and Councillor Michael Thompson, however, it was all about location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the key components [here] is being able to identify where it is deemed appropriate,\u201d said Councillor Thompson. \u201cI don\u2019t think it is suitable for all areas of Aurora, but the criteria we establish\u2026will be an important facet of this policy; to be able to provide that kind of direction and be able to see how staff are able to navigate these waters and identify a criteria that makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added Mayor Mrakas: \u201cI think it is beneficial that we ensure we find out what are the locations within our municipality that we would allow for these accessory dwellings to be permitted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The process is now underway to determine whether families in Aurora will be allowed to turn buildings on their properties, like garages and pool cabanas, into standalone dwellings to help not only with the housing crunch but also in allowing seniors to age in place. Council last week unanimously approved a motion from Councillor Rachel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-85s","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-11 00:03:40","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31090\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}