Penticton tightens rules about size of carriage houses

A review of carriage houses being built in the City of Penticton has led to the development of tighter rules and design parameters resulting in opportunities for better integration between newly constructed carriage houses and surrounding properties.

Through an amendment to existing regulations overseeing carriage houses, Penticton Council said in a news release they supported a staff recommendation requiring:

- Carriage houses having a maximum floor area of 135 square metres in the urban areas of the city, in addition to the existing limit of a 90 square metres building footprint;

- A maximum height of five metres where no lane is present;

- The addition of opaque glass in situations where a building is located close to a property line; and he requirement for a development permit to address building shape, style, materials, etc.

The added regulations will be applied to new construction only and all previously built carriage houses will be grandfathered to remain as is, said the news release.

Likewise, any location where a carriage house can currently be built will remain eligible as a viable site for future carriage house construction, so long as the new regulations are followed.

“Implementing some design guidelines and bylaw amendments to ensure carriage houses have less of an impact to existing neighborhoods was a key initiative to ensure we can have gentle densification, smart growth and good fit for our community,” said Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit.

“Carriage houses are just one of the smaller housing options that the City of Penticton allows, creating more affordable choices for housing in our community.

“The updated regulations will still allow for the development of carriage houses, but look to make sure they fit into the character of our neighbours and continue to provide a positive contribution and housing choice in our community.”