Kamloops council want to hear from people in the Sagebrush neighbourhood before issuing a development permit for a 64-square-metre single-family house on a smaller than usual lot.

That is despite staff asking council to deny the application at 7th Avenue and Douglas Street because of potential impacts to privacy, pedestrians, and parking owing to a rear yard setback variance from 6 metres to 3 metres.

The applicants want to build a two-storey house with 178-square-metres of living space on Lot B (pictured) which currently has a double garage which is used to park two commercial vehicles for a business that is licensed at another location.

The lot is zoned RS1 (Single-Family Residential 1) which requires a minimum lot area of 464-square-metres, however, the existing lot is 237-square-metres in area,” a report from City staff to council said.

“The intent was for the three lots to function as one lot as it only has one set of municipal services; however, the lots were never consolidated, and as a result three separate titles to very small non-conforming RS1 lots exist.”

Councillor Kathy Sinclair was one of five councillors who voted in favour of canvassing neighbours.

“We are going to have to start looking at unique solutions to solving the housing issues in Kamloops and that may be everything from tiny homes to a smaller lot size, and a smaller home such as this one,” she said.

“We will give the neighbourhood an opportunity to present feedback.”

Councillors Arjun Singh, Sadie Hunter, Dale Bass, and Denis Walsh were the others who were in favour of Sinclair’s motion.

“The breaker for me is that the lots adjoining, the most affected lots to the north and to the east are in agreement,” Walsh said. “That would be the push for me is that the neighbourhood seems to be – at least the two most affected lots – are in agreement.”

Councillor Mike O’Reilly was one of four people around the council table opposed to the proposal as presented.

He told his colleagues he agreed with the need for more housing options in Kamloops, but noted there were some issues that prevented him for voting in favour.

“When I look at the list of ten different non-conforming factors or concerns from staff, that is not one or two things,” he said. “And I think we need to make sure that yeah, we would like more housing, but we also do have guidelines and things that are required for building.”

“We’ve gone back to the applicant with options that would still basically allow for this. There are planning principles that staff work with and they are there for a reason and its not like if we turn this down, that staff hasn’t given them an option to do something.”

Mayor Ken Christian along with councillors Dieter Dudy and Bill Sarai were the other opposing votes.