LAURIE WEIR

Three tiny homes are proposed by Lanark County for 20 Robinson St. in Perth.

A public meeting was held on Aug. 6 at the town hall in Perth to hear from concerned citizens as well as the town and county’s planning departments.

The proposed development for the vacant land has received funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund. Two homes have been funded and are built, awaiting installation.

To have these tiny homes installed and for building permits to be issued, the site must first comply with zoning.

The development will be carbon-negative through the use of select building materials and solar generation. The tiny homes will be part of the county’s social housing portfolio and will be rented and managed by associated policies and procedures.

The land is designated residential in Perth’s Official Plan, and a zoning amendment is required.

Three ground-mounted solar installations and a garden are also proposed as

part of the development. Site-specific relief is required to recognize multiple dwellings on the

property, to permit a reduced parking ratio of 1.25 spaces per unit, and to permit the solar structures as proposed.

The units would be similar in size to a studio apartment, or about 300 square feet, built for a single person or couple.

Questions from the public asked if there was sound from the solar panels, if a fence could be erected around the property, and who would be looking after the grounds around these homes.

Mike Dwyer, the county’s planning manager, said he’d check on the solar panel sound question. At this time, Dwyer noted, there is no commitment for a fence. As for property maintenance, that is up to the county’s social services department.

Emily Hollington, the county’s director of social services, said that at this point, the intention of these homes and who will be living there will be brought back to the county council to house people who are experiencing homelessness.

“We have huge numbers of homelessness in this community and everybody deserves a place to live,” Hollington said. “We do find that people experiencing homelessness do better in smaller spaces than they do in larger spaces because their experience is that they have not had a home for a while to look after.”

Hollington said this is a pilot project for the county to see how someone is going to live in a tiny home.  

Robert Trudeau shared one of his concerns. He lives across the road from the proposed development. After moving from Ottawa to Perth recently, he said in his experience, renters and homeowners didn’t mix well together, “for a variety of reasons.”

Trudeau said he felt a fence around the property would help cover the noise and add privacy.

“I can tell you right now, there’s going to be problems,” he said.

Trudeau noted that homeowners in the area “spend a lot of money” enhancing the curb appeal of their properties. “I don’t want to have this whole development turn into a scrapyard.”

He asked how much weight is given to the comments by residents who live close to this area of potential development for tiny homes.

Coun. David Bird, who chaired the meeting, said this is why they have public meetings – to listen to those who make these comments.

“They have to be considered as part of the process,” Bird said.

A fence, Bird added, is one of the common areas of concern, “and it has to be considered.”

Trudeau said he hoped this would make the community stronger and he’s looking forward to having new neighbours.

Council received for information purposes the presentation and staff report from the director of development services regarding the zoning bylaw amendment application and will direct staff to bring forward a zoning bylaw amendment to council for approval. Staff will continue to work with the applicant through the site plan control process.