On July 19, 2022 City Council adopted a report and Official Plan Amendment (By-law 819-2022) expanding Neighbourhood Retail and Services Uses and a zoning by-law amendment (By-law 820-2022) expanding Home Occupation uses in low-rise Neighbourhoods across the city. The amendments are now in full force and effect.
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:
More information and opportunities for input will be posted as these projects and other parts of the work program move forward.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review and comment on our draft Official Plan Amendment for Multiplexes.
The Multiplex Proposals Report was adopted by Planning and Housing Committee on July 5, 2022 meeting of. The report included:
Consultations on the Official Plan Amendment and zoning directions will continue through the Fall of 2022. We anticipate bringing forward our recommended Official Plan and Zoning By-Law Amendments in early 2023.
The Neighbourhood Retail and Service Uses Official Plan Amendment and Home Occupation Uses Zoning by-law Amendment were adopted by City Council on July 21, 2022.
Current Official Plan policies permit existing uses to be maintained in Neighbourhoods but limits the ability of new ones to be established, including by restricting their location to Major Streets on Map 3 and requiring a Zoning By-law amendment. This has contributed to a steady decline of these uses over time.
By way of the Official Plan Amendment, the team proposes that the policy be updated and simplified to support the creation of new Neighbourhood amenities. As with other Official Plan policies, the Zoning by-law will continue to provide direction on appropriate uses, locations, and other performance standards.
Currently the Zoning By-law 569-2013 permits several types of home-based work City-wide. These are referred to as “Home Occupation” and are defined as “a business use within a dwelling unit, where the dwelling unit is the principal residence of the business operator”.
The R zone – which is generally only found within the former City of Toronto boundaries- is the most permissive in terms of home occupation. There are many home occupation uses that are only permitted in the R zone such as small medical offices, and personal services such as hair and beauty services, dressmaking, and tailoring. As a first step, we propose to equalize these permissions across all residential zones in the City, as outlined in the zoning by-law amendment.
Staff will draft and engage on the City-wide Zoning By-law through 2022 and into 2023. The Zoning by-law will:
PH35.2 – Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods: Major Streets – Interim Report (July 2022)
PH35.3 – Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods: Multiplex Study – Proposals Report (July 2022)
PH31.6 – Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods – Update Report (February 2022)
PH29.8 – Neighbourhood Change and Intensification Bulletin (November 2021)
PH 25.15 – Garden Suites – Proposals Report (June 2021)
PH 20.3 – Beaches-East York Pilot Project (January 2021)
PH 15.6 – Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (July 2020)
PH9.4 – Focusing On Building Design Improvements (October 2019)
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
In partnership with the City Planning Division, the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) convened the EHON Roundtable, an advisory body comprised of individuals representing a broad range of backgrounds and equity-deserving groups, that discussed changes to Neighbourhoods policies in the Official Plan, multiplex housing permissions and design considerations, the desirability of expanding local retail and services, and rezoning for Major Streets.
With the goal of elevating lived experience into housing policy, the Final Recommendations Report summarizes the work of the EHON Roundtable and includes recommendations for the City to consider through the EHON initiative.
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:
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