Port Colborne residents asked for feedback on Additional Dwelling Units

The City of Port Colborne is seeking community input on Additional Dwelling Units.

An Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU) is a self-contained residential unit with its own kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area. An ADU may be located within an existing home or constructed as a separate building on the same property. Common names for ADUs include basement apartments, in-law suites, coach houses, laneway houses, garden suites, and accessory dwelling units. 

According to the City’s current by-laws and policies, a single ADU is permitted on any lot containing a single-detached, semi-detached, townhouse, or street townhouse dwelling. However, provincially, the rules state that three ADUs are permitted “by-right” under certain circumstances. The City must comply with the provincial rules. 

Port Colborne was recently approved for provincial funding through the Housing Accelerator Fund, which requires the City to allow up to four ADUs in certain circumstances. As a result, the City is required to adjust its current policies and by-laws to accommodate these changes.

To ensure the public has a say in the City’s updated policies and regulations, residents are invited to complete a survey and attend an open house about ADUs.

The survey is available until Tuesday, Sept. 23, and can be completed online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/ADUpc or in print at City Hall, the Vale Health & Wellness Centre, and the Port Colborne Public Library.  

The drop-in open house will take place Tuesday, Sept. 16 from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Vale Health & Wellness Centre’s Golden Puck Room, where City staff will be on hand to provide information about ADUs and answer any questions residents may have.

For more information on ADUs in Port Colborne, please visit www.portcolborne.ca/adu