Cambridge council to consider best practices, regulations required for ‘tiny homes’

Just one week after Kitchener council voted unanimously in support of a bylaw amendment to allow the construction of “additional dwellings” or “tiny homes” on certain residential properties, Cambridge council is expected to receive a notice of motion from Ward 7 Councillor Scott Hamilton to take the first steps toward a similar outcome.

Called a “part of the solution” to address the housing crisis in the region, Hamilton said he’d like to see the “progressive, novel” idea embraced by the community with adequate research and community feedback.

Speaking with 570 NEWS, Hamilton said he’d been inspired by the ‘tiny home’ movement from his own experience living in a small flat in England, adding that he’d thought the idea could be fantastic for an “area, country or city” looking to get roofs over the heads of individuals who really need them.

After reaching out to the community regarding the potential for small, private, self-contained dwelling units on properties that can accommodate them, Hamilton said he’d heard positive feedback across the board – from realtors and builders to residents, and from students who couldn’t currently afford homes.

“It all kind of started from the need, the interest, and having lived in fairly small areas myself,” said Hamilton. “I think Cambridge, Ontario, [and] Canada are not just in need of it, but are definitely ready for it.”

Regarding the benefits that the small living spaces could bring to the City of Cambridge, Hamilton echoed the statements of Kitchener Ward 7 Councillor Bil Ioannidis in calling tiny homes a “gentle form of intensification.” With a growing population and less land on which to house individuals, Hamilton said tiny homes present a way to develop locally built structures in a safe, sustainable way rather than intensifying neighbourhoods and communities with high rise apartment complexes.

“Most people hear the word ‘intensification’, they think someone’s going to build an apartment building beside their home. This is a gentle form of intensification because if someone has the correct space, the correct neighbourhood, they might actually be able to get one of these tiny homes or tiny dwellings in beside them – and the benefits are, I think, substantial,” Hamilton said. 

In addition to housing supply, Hamilton believes there’s a benefit to be offered from tiny homes in regard to multigenerational households. He said he’s heard anecdotal stories from community members about how an additional unit on their property could allow young adults or aged parents the opportunity to live nearby, but under their own roof with a maintained form of independent living.

In addition, Hamilton spoke to the potential impact a tiny home movement could have on the “overly materialistic society,” with less space translating to a greater gain in quality of life “if done properly.”

“It’s part of the solution to address the housing crisis that I think we’re seeing in our community,” said Hamilton. “It’s not a magic bullet, it’s not going to be a magical cure-all, but I think it will be an important part of a solution that will show that our community is dynamic, forward thinking and progressive in exploring all options to help people whenever it can.”

While Hamilton will be filing the notice of motion during Tuesday’s special council meeting, the Ward 7 councillor said that move will be the beginning of the very first steps in potentially bringing the construction of tiny homes to Cambridge, as he said it’s better to “learn to walk slowly” rather than “sprinting and leaping” into a substantial policy change.

Should council support the motion, Hamilton said the goal is to acknowledge and study the prospect of tiny homes, developing potential policy proposals and implementable actions before getting the homes constructed without any issues. The current notice of motion asks council to direct staff to evaluate best practices, acceptable sizing, and any other requirements to allow for the construction of tiny homes, with a report to be made to council by the fourth quarter of 2021.

“With tiny homes… if there are concerns, don’t scrap the whole concept. Ask how can we address those? When it comes to issues like affordable housing and homelessness, this will not magically solve all those issues – but it will help to address them, to get more housing on the market. It may help depress prices a bit and expand options for rentals,” Hamilton said.

While Hamilton admits there may be the potential for residents to use these units for personal gain rather than community benefit, he’s hopeful that Cambridge can avoid that outcome, adding that those sort of issues are exactly why the city is starting with a report and review of best practices rather than trying to “ram something through very quickly.”

Hamilton added that he thinks we are seeing a demographic shift as millenials are trying to get into the housing market.

“Cambridge and Waterloo Region really have to embrace that, and I think this is one of those more creative, progressive, novel solutions to an ongoing problem that we can really embrace as a community,” he said.