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District of Port Hardy stops ‘tiny homes’ from being built downtown

Homes were being erected without the necessary paperwork
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The tiny homes that were being built in downtown Port Hardy without the proper paperwork in place. (Tyson Whitney/North Island Gazette)

Have you seen the tiny homes that were recently being built in downtown Port Hardy?

Well, according to district staff, it turns out the homes were being erected without the necessary paperwork needed to build them.

“The use of the property on Granville and Market Streets for the manufacturing (of tiny homes) is not permitted under our zoning regulation and the work there has ceased,” stated the district’s Director of Corporate Services, Heather Nelson-Smith, when asked to comment on the issue. “However, if this business were to continue on a property that permits manufacturing they would be permitted to build them with a valid business licence… Manufactured homes are permitted in Port Hardy as long as the property is zoned for the placement as well as the manufactured homes must meet the BC Building Code minimum CSA Certification. So these tiny homes being constructed would not be permitted unless they can be CSA Certified.”

The BC Building Code is a provincial regulation that governs how new construction, building alterations, repairs and demolitions are completed. The code establishes minimum requirements for safety, health, accessibility, fire and structural protection of buildings and energy and water efficiency.

Nelson-Smith added that owners of property in Port Hardy should always “check with the current zoning of their property prior to placing or erecting any structure.”

ABOUT TINY HOMES

Tiny homes are residential structures generally under 400 square feet.

The idea behind them is to help promote financial prudence, economically stability, shared community experiences, and to create a shift in consumerism-driven mindsets.


@NIGazette
editor@northislandgazette.com

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Tyson Whitney

About the Author: Tyson Whitney

I have been working in the community newspaper business for nearly a decade, all of those years with Black Press Media.
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