On one back lane in Calgary’s Brentwood neighbourhood, Jai Cheng’s garage stands out — because it’s more than that.
“Think of it not as adding units,” the Calgary homeowner and mother of two said. “You’re actually changing people’s lives here.”
The lives changed with their 900 square-foot, two-bedroom garage suite, are theirs — and their parents’.
The family first thought of the idea during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Cheng’s parents were visiting from China.
“There were some frictions,” Cheng laughed. “Multi-generational living is tricky, but we do want to maintain them — to have them over, to have the ability to visit family, visit grandkids.”
The suite, which was finished last fall, is one of roughly 400 such dwellings in Calgary right now.
But armed with new money from Canada’s Housing Accelerator Fund, the city is hoping to add to that.
Calgary’s Backyard Suites Incentive Program will provide up to $15,000 to support the construction of the home — as well as 40 per cent of costs associated with underground services, up to $20,000.
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Owners of heritage homes, those who need accessibility features and buildings that fit within existing land use by-laws are also eligible for additional funding.
The city’s manager of the Backyard Suites Program, Josh Howes, says the idea has really gained popularity in the past half-decade.
“We see a lot of family composition, often with somebody in mind… taking an existing property they don’t want to leave… and they’re able to stay there because of the backyard suite.”
Jason Battershill’s company, Garage Suites Calgary, built the Chengs’ new digs — and has worked on dozens of similar projects.
“We have a lot of people who approach us, but just don’t have enough money to do them. I think the incentive program is really going to help in a lot of cases,” Battershill said.
He envisions recent policy changes and the creation of financial incentives could mean thousands of this particular housing type could pop up in the next several years.
“Once the city gets it out there… people start learning it’s actually available to them, I think it’s just going to be widespread,” Battershill said.
For the Chengs, the building has meant more than just a couple extra bedrooms with space underneath to park their vehicles.
“The best part is that my daughter can go by herself in the mornings, knock on the door, say, ‘Grandma I miss you, I want a hug…’ and then she gets it.”
The program begins March 2.
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