The purpose of the amendments was to improve the buildability and quality of Garden Suites by adding increased design flexibility while mitigating impacts on adjacent properties.

Project Stage

Zoning Bylaw Council Decision

Changes to Zoning Bylaw 12800 were approved by City Council on July 10, 2017 (Item 5.3). The regulations came into effect on September 1, 2017.

What's Changed?

Garden Suites must comply with the regulations in Section 87 of the Zoning Bylaw and the Zone in which the subject property is located.

For properties within the Mature Neighbourhood Overlay, Garden Suites must also comply with Section 814

Effective July 2, 2020 minimum on-site parking requirements were removed from the Zoning Bylaw. This means that homeowners can now decide how much parking to provide with their garden suite based on their own particular needs. For more information, please visit edmonton.ca/makingspace.

Public Consultation

The City of Edmonton is committed to citizen engagement.

City staff conducted initial stakeholder consultation beginning in March 2016. The results of this engagement were summarized in the Garden Suite Buildability What We Heard Report

Next Steps

In addition to approving new Garden Suite regulations, City Council has directed City staff to:

  • Develop a strategy to inform neighbours of Class A developments. Amendments to the Zoning Bylaw to enable notification letters to be sent to neighbours were approved at the August 28, 2017 City Council Public Hearing (Item 5.8).
  • Undertake further work on a laneway housing strategy, which will be undertaken as part of future infill initiatives.
  • Return to Council, along with the laneway housing strategy, with a report on the potential for Zoning Bylaw amendments to increase maximum floor area allowances for accessibility, second storey, and stairways.