Mission residents now have an extended deadline to sign up for the city’s new secondary suites program.
An update on the program was provided to council at Monday’s (April 15) meeting with a report on registration numbers.
Roughly 1,200 new suites registered for the program prior to the initial April 2 deadline, bringing the total number of registered suites to 3,084. Over 400 suites previously known to the city didn’t register and 29 were decommissioned.
“The response in registrations is considered positive given that the city now has a better understanding of the actual number of suites that currently exist within the community,” a report to council reads.
Council resolved to extend the early registration deadline to May 16. Suites that are registered early do not require inspections.
Coun. Jag Gill motioned to extend the registration period due to previous pauses in which council re-evaluated aspects of the program.
“I think there’s still people out there that can buy in and take up on this program,” Gill said.
According to the report, the city set out to have all secondary suites in Mission registered as part of the new program in order to prioritize safe housing and an equitable sharing of utility and administrative costs.
“By taking this approach, the city hoped to gain a more accurate picture of the number and location of secondary suites, allowing the city to more effectively plan services and amenities such as parks, buses, parking and school lands,” the report reads.
After the early registration period closes, those who register a new suite will need to apply for a building permit. The building permit process could potentially require owners to bring their suite into building code and city bylaw compliance.
Council paused the program in December after receiving pushback at an information session. After making changes, the program resumed in January.
“There were lots of questions and lots of lessons learned but it has been a very productive process in terms of us getting an accurate sense of how many suites we have and being able to understand the neighbourhoods where they are most common,” Mission Mayor Paul Horn said.