The District of West Vancouver has landed its first blow in a battle against a monster.
Council voted unanimous Monday night to inhibit the construction of “monster houses,” by shrinking the maximum size of homes on consolidated lots, and regulating fence height and landscaping.
Under the new rules, homes built on two lots that have been legally joined will be limited to being 150 per cent of the size allowed on the minimum lot size for that zone. Where a 24,000-square foot lot could legally hold an 8,400-square foot home in the past, the size will now be limited to 6,300 square feet.
Fences will be limited to 1.2 metres in front yards and 1.8 metres at the sides and rear of a property. The district will also be enforcing more stringent landscaping plans.
The issue of neighbourhood character has been one of much ballyhoo in recent years as developers have favoured knocking down older homes and replacing them with edifices built to the maximum allowable floor space and setback.
Though council and staff have been bandying ideas about since 2014, with, at times, overflow crowds waiting their turn to be heard, when it came to the official public hearing Monday night, only one resident signed up to speak.
Paradoxically, architect Gordon Hlynsky said the bylaw’s provisions on fence height would prevent him from building a fence high enough to afford any privacy from the monster home next door, prompting council to ask for staff assurances that exceptions to the bylaw can be made.
Coun. Christine Cassidy agreed.
“I’m a big believer that good fences make good neighbours and many of us have to live with the heartache that has suddenly been built next door to us, and how are you going to preserve your privacy?” Cassidy responded.
The first-term councillor threw her support behind the bylaw.
For members of council, it wasn’t a question of whether the new rules ought to be passed but rather whether they could be applied retroactively to any lots consolidated – but without building permit requests filed – since council began the process in February 2015.
Coun. Craig Cameron raised the bylaw’s shortcoming in light of the rush of clear cutting by property owners with “questionable ethical compasses” on the eve of the district’s new tree bylaw coming into effect last month.
The new rules approved Monday night, however, are only the first step in council’s plan to a tackle massive homes supplanting neighbourhood character.
Phase 2 of council’s housing bulk and form discussion, which will focus on building height, setbacks on standard lots and the amount of rock that developers may blast from the landscape, is expect to take place this fall.
