Property owner requests permission for garden suite

A Guelph-Eramosa property owner is requesting approval for a garden suite on his standardbred racehorse farm.

At the Nov. 21 meeting Guelph-Eramosa council deemed a temporary use bylaw for a garden suite complete for the property at 8376 Highway 7, south of Rockwood.

“The application is proposed for a garden suite on the property for on-farm labour,” township planning consultant Mitchell Avis said.

“Garden suites are permitted under the planning act under temporary use bylaws.

“Now you’re allowed to commit to them for up to a 20-year period and then they can be further extended in increments of three years past that 20 years once it expires.”

There are currently two mobile homes on the property; one will become a residence and the other will become an office.

Avis identified eight requirements that need to be met because the property is zoned agricultural and environmental protection:

- the structure must be portable and temporary;

- there can only be one driveway shared for the main house and garden suite;

- the placement of the garden suite must satisfy zoning setback requirements as well as be located to the rear or side of the main house;

- the maximum size of the garden suite is 140m2 as long as it remains, at the most, half the size of the main house;

- the maximum height cannot exceed 4.5m and cannot be more than one storey;

- the suite must be at least 3m away from any other building;

- there can only be one garden suite per lot; and

- the structure must have water and sewage disposal as per the building code.

Council deemed the application complete and a public meeting has been set for Dec. 19 at 7pm.

“We’ll move this as quick as we (can) ... unless we get a massive input from the public meeting,” Mayor Chris White said.