The City of Campbell River is hoping some cash will encourage homeowners to build secondary suites.
City council will consider establishing a Secondary Suite Grant Program on Thursday (Jan. 9).
Applicants would build their secondary suite and receive $5,000 after inspection.
Secondary suites are self-contained units inside an existing home (dwelling unit).
City staff propose to cap the program at $250,000 – that would be 50 successful applicants.
The money would come from the $10.4 million Housing Accelerator Fund the city received from the federal government.
The move is meant to help meet the city’s commitment of building 1,277 new housing units, including 94 accessory dwelling units by the end of 2027.
The grant program is separate from the B.C. Housing Secondary Suite Incentive Program which provides forgivable loans up to $40,000.
Those loans are for suites rented at below-market rates for at least five years.
The city already has other incentives in place for accessory dwelling units, such as a 20 per cent reduction in water and sewer rates and an amnesty program to waive building permit fees for illegal suites to bring them into compliance.
