Staff are reviewing the Town's current single unit dwelling (R1) zone and propose alternatives to Council. This will include immediately removing the R1 zone in priority areas where wastewater capacity is not constrained and where housing intensification is required to meet demand.

As part of this initiative, the Town will create a policy to support the removal of the R1 zone throughout Town as the wastewater system is upgraded to accommodate additional capacity. This zoning change will enable an incremental increase in density to the Town's housing stock.

Some Context for the Initiative

There are currently 1,886 properties in Bridgewater that are zoned R1, where single unit dwellings are permitted as-of-right.

When land use controls were first introduced in 1975, Council determined that dwellings built before August 27, 1975 should have more flexibility and allow up to two units on a property.

Today, there are 1,005 properties in the R1 zone that were built before 1975. Of those, only 60 lots (or approximately 6% over 50 years) are known to have two-units. Most remain single-unit properties despite the allowance for conversion.

This suggests that removing the R1 zoning is unlikely to lead to a sudden wave of conversions, since property owners have historically chosen to maintain their single unit dwellings.

In urban planning, "Zoning" is the way that sections of land are divided up to determine the types of land uses that are permitted. We often think of zoning as either residential, commercial, or industrial, but it also includes things like institutional uses (like hospitals, schools and places of worship) and parks and open spaces. Planners use zoning to guide development in a community and make sure that each form of development has its specific place. This means separating land uses like residential (like houses and apartments) from industrial (like factories and workshops) to keep people safe, healthy and comfortable. The Town's Land Use By-law maps out the zones and determines what kinds of development can happen where, and at what intensity.

The R1 (Single Unit Residential) Zone is one of 7 residential zones in Bridgewater. These Zones are:

R-1: Single Unit Residential Zone

R-2: Two Unit Residential Zone

R-3: Comprehensive Residential Zone

R-4: Downtown Residential Zone

R-5: Medium Density Residential Zone

R-6: High Density Residential Zone

R-7: Manufactured Residential Home Zone

R-1 Zoning is the land use zone applied to areas of the town with lowest residential density permitted - meaning only one house is allowed on a lot. This zone is applied to many neighbourhoods in Bridgewater (see the map below to see existing R-1 Zoning).