City council is backing a move to allow secondary units in residential areas in Windsor.
Council approved the amendment to its Official Plan with only councillor Fred Francis opposed, arguing the change would do away with input from neighbours the current process provides.
Currently, homeowners are required to have their property re-zoned to create a second unit like a basement apartment which can be a lengthy and somewhat costly process.
Ward 2 resident Caroline Taylor pushed council to reject allowing secondary units.
"I'm very disappointed in city council for not looking to the future," says Taylor. "Five to ten years from now, once all these rental houses are right across the city, you're going to have a lot of upset people."
She's worried more renters means a downward slide for city neighbourhoods.
"A landlord moves in, he does not look after the lot, he does not look after the yard, nobody's looking after anything. It brings down the value of the homes around the rental," says Taylor.
A report to council shows additions of secondary units may increase the assessed value of homes and add to the tax levy.
Despite the concerns voiced by Taylor, many of those who spoke to the issue on Monday night were in favour — including Marina Clemens, the chair of the city's Housing Advisory Committee. Clemens says allowing for secondary units is a step in the right direction to improve options to address housing affordability in the city.
"When you have 4,700 people on a waiting list, this is not going to get rid of all of that — we know that. At least, what we keep saying is, it gives people options," says Clemens.
Taylor isn't convinced.
"There's no way that these apartments are going to be cheap," she says. "They're going to be building them to ask for as much as they can get for them — they're going to go for the going rate."
Clemens feels there are more good tenants than bad and stresses, allowing secondary units gives seniors and those with disabilities more options to stay in their own homes.
"They rent, they can't afford to buy a house so they rent and they're good renters — they take care of the property, they take care of everything," says Clemens.
Homeowners will be able to move forward in creating secondary units likely in October, after an appeal process and formal by-law is adopted by council.