The Major Street Study is one component of the City’s Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) initiative. The Major Streets study focuses on permitting gentle density – missing middle housing – on major streets in low-rise neighbourhoods across Toronto. Please see the Study Overview section below for more details, and then share your ideas by completing our survey.
Video on understanding the Major Streets Approach. City of Toronto Youtube.
The Major Street Study is part of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiative, which aims to bring more housing to Toronto’s low-rise neighbourhoods. This study proposes to permit gentle intensification of residential units in areas designated Neighbourhoods by the Official Plan, along major streets as shown on Map 3 of the Official Plan.
Major streets are those transportation corridors which support surface transportation, shipping and delivery routes, and provide connectivity across the city. Major streets are identified on Map 3 – Right-of-Way Widths Associated with Existing Major Streets. To better understand the City’s major streets, you are invited to view this video.
Four guiding principles have been established for the Major Streets Study:
1. Equitable access to housing,
2. Equitable access to community,
3. Sustainability and environment, and
4. Equitable participation in redevelopment.
These principles have influenced the approach to research and review as follows:
The Major Streets Study offers the City an opportunity to investigate policies and programs that are targeted at increasing the creation of a diverse range and mix of housing options in lower density, ground related formats. Included in this are additional units to accommodate people at all stages of life, to accommodate the needs of all household sizes and incomes and provide support for expanded housing options across Toronto.
The EHON project teams have conducted 19 community and stakeholder consultation events between February 7 and May 9, 2022, all of which have provided opportunity for participants to comment on the Major Streets Study stream. The consultation events consisted of the below.
Participants highlighted the importance of continuing to look for opportunities to expand the number of housing types, work on finding ways to enhance equity of access to neighbourhood housing, encouraging new units to be designed for accessibility, and to support small scale commercial whenever possible.
February 7, 2022 – EHON Roundtable Launch event
February 22, 2022 – Scarborough-Rouge Park Ward Meeting
February 24, 2022 – Scarborough Centre ward meeting attended by over 40 residents
February 24, 2022 – EHON Roundtable Session #2 on Neighbourhood Policies
March 1, 2022 – Etobicoke-Lakeshore Ward Meeting
March 4, 2022 – School of Cities Mid-term Presentations: Analysing missing middle typologies in Don Valley Village, Willowdale, Weston, and Birchcliff areas
March 24, 2022 – EHON Roundtable Session #3 on Multiplex permissions
April 5, 2022 – EHON Public Meeting – North York
April 6, 2022 – Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) Event
April 7, 2022 – EHON Public Meeting – Scarborough
April 12, 2022 – EHON Public Meeting – Etobicoke
April 13, 2022 – EHON Public Meeting – Toronto East York
April 14, 2022 – Design Review Panel
April 26, 2022 – EHON Roundtable Event – Major Streets
April 27, 2022 – Twitter Spaces Event
May 7, 2022 – Jane’s Walk Events: 2 Walks and 1 Panel Event
May 9, 2022 – Confronting Anti-Black Racism Advisory Committee
Research and analysis for the Major Streets Study has required in depth consideration of many topics, ranging from policy analysis to physical analysis of the major streets, and including review of tree planning requirements and financial feasibility analysis of the proposed building types across Toronto. To better understand the Major Streets Study approach, you are invited to view this video 
.
The Planning and Housing Committee endorsed the contents of the report (September 14, 2023) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning as the basis for ongoing public consultation.
The Planning and Housing Committee endorsed the contents of the report (June 15, 2022) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning as the basis for ongoing public consultation.
On July 16, 2019, City Council adopted Member Motion MM9.36 entitled “Expanding Housing Options in Toronto – Tackling the Missing Middle and the Yellowbelt“. The motion directed City Planning to report on options and a timeline to increase housing options and planning permissions in areas of Toronto designated as Neighbourhoods in Toronto’s Official Plan.
For more information as it becomes available, please visit the City Planning Consultations page.
We want your feedback! Please complete our survey. Your feedback will be used to shape the appearance of new development along the City’s major streets. The survey will be live until Mid-November, 2023.
Feedback and comments can be emailed to EHON@toronto.ca.
The material that was available and on display at the in-person consultation events includes the following: