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.

Summary of Study

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.

What is a Major Street

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.

Guiding Principles

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:

  • Policy: review and analysis of the existing planning framework governing residential land use permissions in neighbourhoods in Toronto, including Provincial legislation, Official Plan policies, and the City-wide Zoning By-law;
  • Design: consideration of opportunities to expand existing permissions for low-rise residential development on major streets while maintaining liveability of units and responding to neighbourhood character and scale;
  • Financial: analysis of redevelopment opportunities and barriers to individual property/ homeowners (retrofit or new development) of Neighbourhood designated parcels fronting directly onto major streets; and
  • Opportunity Areas: identification of Neighbourhood designated road segments of Major Streets to facilitate analysis of site-specific conditions, and urban design modeling in the preparation of recommendations for amendments to Official Plan policies and Zoning regulations.

Integrating Equity

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.

Summary of Consultation to Date

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

Study Approach

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 (opens in new window).

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.

In-person Consultation Events

  • October 12, 2023: 4:30 – 7 p.m. – Scarborough Civic Centre
  • October 16, 2023: 5 – 7:30 p.m. – City Hall Rotunda
  • October 17, 2023: 4:30 – 7 p.m. – Etobicoke Civic Centre
  • October 18, 2023: 5 – 7:30 p.m. – North York Centre Atrium

Toronto-wide Virtual Events

  • December 6, 2023: 6 – 7:30 p.m. – EHON Major Streets Study (City Wide Webinar 3): Register Online
  • October 25, 2023: 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
  • October 25, 2023: 6 – 8 p.m.

For more information as it becomes available, please visit the City Planning Consultations page.

Survey

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.