The two biggest universities in B.C. have figured out how to fit more students and faculty on campus at more affordable prices: suites within suites. Similar to "mortgage-helper" suites in single-family homes, some condo and townhouse units feature a built-in removable wall that allows the owner to rent out a portion of the home for extra cash. Separate entrances, kitchens, and bathrooms are included.

At the Novo One building at Simon Fraser University, for example, a convertible two-bedroom-and-den condo sold in mid October for $415,000. The suite separates into a 680-square-foot one-bedroom-and-den suite, and a 250-square-foot studio, which can be rented out.

"It's a no-brainer," SFU associate geography professor Mark Roseland told the Straight. Roseland sits on the board of the SFU Community Corporation, which manages the university's forward-thinking housing development that encompasses Novo One and other residences.

"This is the same idea that zillions of homeowners have used to pay their mortgages," Roseland continued. "We have a housing crisis in the region, and this is a clear way at minimum cost to everyone to provide more housing."

That's why so many citizens brought the idea forward as part of the City of Vancouver's EcoDensity consultations, according to Thor Kuhlmann, a planner at the densification initiative's office. Vancouver's zoning does not yet permit the official subdivision of units into multifamily dwellings. But that may change.

The suite-within-a-suite model was part of the draft EcoDensity initial actions that went to city council on November 27. Council approved further public consultations on the idea to "require, allow and/or encourage secondary suites in buildings at all scales, from single family and duplex to apartments in order to increase the density of housing units within current housing forms, as well as create lower-cost rental housing".

How this model would impact livability is something Kuhlmann and others will consider. Would these units have enough light? How would neighbourhood amenities–such as childcare, parking, and parks–keep up with intense densification? Would the city allow these secondary suites to be sold, or just rented?

"You want to take the time upfront to make this right," he told the Straight.

Meanwhile, UBC isn't covered by Vancouver's zoning bylaws. The UBC Properties Trust built its first suite-within-a-suite in 2003. Since then, the trust and other developers have built 196 convertible suites in apartment buildings and townhouses. That's about 10 percent of the new suites on campus, according to the trust's director of planning and design, Paul Young.

"I think it's a housing form that's going to become more common," Young told the Straight. The trust conducted a survey of residents in the summer of 2006 and found that about two-thirds of the suites-within-suites were being used for rental, and the rest for additional space within the primary home. To Young, it's a great success.

"We want to get as many units as possible filled by people who either work or study on campus," he said.

Unlike SFU's UniverCity, which is making an effort to make housing units more affordable, UBC's developments are on a par with the relatively high prices in Vancouver's West Side, Young said. So the suite option is pivotal in keeping on-campus housing affordable to faculty and students.

On www.mls.ca/ on December 4, UBC apartment and townhouse properties started at $338,000 for a 415-square-foot studio-and-den condo. The most expensive was $2.2 million for a three-bedroom, 2,400-square-foot condo. Of the 79 properties for sale at UBC, five of them were under $400,000.

Stan Hamilton, a professor at UBC's Sauder School of Business, told the Straight that the suite-within-a-suite model is a necessity.

"It's a recognition that housing is very expensive in this city," he said. "Whether you're a young person buying for the first time, or an older person buying for the fourth time, mortgage-helpers are a good thing to do."

Kuhlmann's challenge is to keep Vancouver affordable in a largely private housing market. That's why he likes this model. "I was very impressed with what citizens came forward with during the [EcoDensity] consultations. People are very creative. They look at the big picture and beyond."