Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods is a City of Toronto initiative to facilitate more low-rise housing in residential neighbourhoods to meet the needs of our growing city. The City is working to expand opportunities for “missing middle” housing forms in Toronto, ranging from duplexes to low-rise walk-up apartments. All of these housing types can be found in many parts of Toronto today, but they are also limited in where they can be newly built. Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods is one solution among a range of City initiatives to increase housing choice and access and create a more equitable, sustainable city.
Priority projects endorsed by Council to be advanced in 2020-2021:
More information and opportunities for input will be posted as these projects and other parts of the work program move forward.
MM9.36 – Expanding Housing Options in Toronto – Tackling the Missing Middle and the “Yellowbelt”
PH9.4 – Focusing On Building Design Improvements
PH 15.6 – Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods
Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (July 2020)
Missing Middle – Summary of Advice from the Planning Review Panel (December 2019)
Survey of Registered Community Associations (June 2020)
City Planning Presentation to Planning and Housing Committee (July 13, 2020)
Townhouse and Low-Rise Apartment Guidelines
Changing Lanes: The City of Toronto’s Review of Laneway Suites
The Official Plan and Zoning By-law work together to implement the City’s vision for future land use and development:
The following graphics show how much of the City of Toronto’s total area is in each Official Plan land use designation and Zoning By-law zone category. One square represents one percent of the City of Toronto’s area.
Official Plan – Land Use Designation | Area (square kilometres) | Percentage of City of Toronto Land Area |
Neighbourhoods | 224.5 | 35.4% |
Apartment Neighbourhoods | 22.0 | 3.5% |
Natural Areas | 70.6 | 11.1% |
Parks | 29.7 | 4.7% |
Other Open Space Areas (including Golf Courses, Cemeteries, Public Utilities) | 22.6 | 3.6% |
Utility Corridors | 14.5 | 2.3% |
Mixed Use Areas | 32.9 | 5.2% |
Core Employment Areas | 60.7 | 9.6% |
General Employment Areas | 21.2 | 3.3% |
Regeneration Areas | 4.3 | 0.7% |
Institutional Areas | 6.1 | 1.0% |
Special Study Areas | 0.1 | 0.0% |
Lands not subject to Official Plan Land Use Designation (e.g. roads) | 125.0 | 19.7% |
Total City of Toronto Land Area | 634.0 | 100.0% |
Zoning By-law – Zone Category | Area (square kilometers) | Percentage of City of Toronto Area |
Residential | 303.7 | 47.1% |
Residential Apartment | 21.2 | 3.3% |
Utility and Transportation | 33.0 | 5.1% |
Open Space | 129.9 | 20.1% |
Commercial, Commercial Residential & Commercial Residential Employment | 38.2 | 5.9% |
Employment Industrial | 101.4 | 15.7% |
Institutional | 14.7 | 2.3% |
Unassigned | 2.3 | 0.4% |
Total City of Toronto Area | 644.5 | 100.0% |
Although zoning by-laws must generally conform to the Official Plan, the exact breakdown of land areas in land use designations and zone categories varies due to differences in how these areas are drawn and measured. For example, Official Plan land use designations do not include rights-of-way, whereas zones are based on property boundaries extended to the centreline of adjacent streets.
The graphic below illustrates the percentage of the City of Toronto’s total area subject to Residential zoning (47.1%). On its own, the Residential Detached (RD) zone makes up 31.3% of the city’s total area. 15.8% of the city’s total area consists of Residential zones (R, RS, RT and RM zones), most of which permit a variety of Missing Middle housing forms. Secondary suites are permitted in all Residential zones.
Notes: