Projects that are slow to materialize: cities continue to fear the establishment of tiny houses

MISE À DAY

Victims of a bad reputation, tiny houses are still often the object of prejudice on the part of the authorities who, rightly or wrongly, show reluctance to authorize them.

Despite efforts to create the Mini Quartier in Drummondville, this project, which was to bring together some thirty tiny houses, has still not materialized. One of the instigators, Gérard Bourret, attributes this failure to the numerous requirements of the municipalities, which are free to modify their own regulations concerning the minimum size of constructions accepted on their territory.

For Mr. Bourret, the The reason is very simple: since the real estate value of tiny houses is lower, they bring in less tax than a standard single-family house. “That's what frustrates them,” he says indignantly.

The City of Drummondville, which has authorized tiny houses since 2017, under certain conditions, says it has never had to comment on this future district. “No project has been officially submitted,” says public relations advisor Anne-Élisabeth Benjamin.

No tiny houses in the Petit Quartier

After five years of preparation, the Petit Quartier de Sherbrooke, which appears as a cooperative model defying the usual urban planning standards, will finally welcome clusters of small houses of 720 to 960 square feet, instead of tiny houses, as originally planned .

Model house in the Petit Quartier de Sherbrooke

This change was made at the request of Desjardins, which agreed to make mortgage loans if the dwellings had a minimum area of ​​700 square feet, explains Guillaume Brien, general manager of the Fédération des cooperatives d'habitation de l'Estrie. /p>

He also reports that elected officials feared that the tiny houses looked like a shed and that they would lose value over the years. “They were wondering if there was a resale market afterwards,” he adds.

EXCLUSIVE MAP
REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS Consult our tool here

The new Terrasses de Stanstead construction site, in the Eastern Townships, will house small houses of 620 to 800 square feet and not tiny houses, as announced recently. Changes to municipal regulations had to be made to allow these dimensions, informs the mayor, Jody Stone.

Moreover, the overhaul of urban planning regulations, which is underway in his municipality, is a complex process that can take years, says the general manager of Ham Sud, Étienne Bélisle. Its municipal council promises to think about the question of tiny houses.

Difficult for tiny houses on wheels

Some campgrounds accept tiny houses on wheels, but these have a hard life in most municipalities. Dixville, in Estrie, is one of the few who accept them. As the elected officials feared to develop the water and sewer services in a neighborhood that the tiny houses on wheels could leave at any time, they required that they have a foundation on slab, on screw piles or other. “They were afraid that the neighborhood would become deserted!” advances the general manager, Sylvain Benoit.

Tiny houses in high demand KEEP READING

Testimonials What you need to know