Halifax council votes to legalize rooming houses despite suburban and rural parking concerns
Despite some rural and suburban concerns about parking, Halifax regional councillors have legalized so-called shared housing across the municipality.
Council held a public hearing at its meeting on Tuesday to consider second reading of land-use bylaw amendments to permit shared housing uses like rooming houses or single-room occupancies, or supportive housing.
“Shared housing is a broad term that describes housing shared by a group of individuals living under separate leases where support services may be provided,” social policy planner Jillian MacLellan told council.
“This can be in the form of rooming houses or a dormitory setting where individuals rent a room but share common living areas such as a kitchen and living room with other tenants.”
Rooming houses are more affordable than bachelor or one-bedroom apartments, but the municipality basically regulated them out of existence by requiring licensing and registration in the early 2000s. (This 2017 Planifax video sums it up well.)
The Centre Plan legalized shared housing in the urban areas of HRM, and the bylaw amendments before council on Tuesday made the change across the municipality. …[Read More]