Mid-Rise Housing Implementation Initiative

Allowing more mid-rise housing is an important part of the City’s overall housing strategy and helps diversify its housing supply. In recent years, the City introduced several planning changes to expand permissions for mid-rise housing across Toronto.

Mid-rise buildings provide housing options between single-family homes or low-rise buildings and high-rise buildings. Mid-rise residential buildings are defined as all buildings that are 5- to 14-storeys in height. For the purpose of the Mid-Rise Housing Implementation Initiative, mid-rise buildings can range from 5- to 6-storeys within Neighbourhoods, to 10- to 14-storeys along Avenues.

Mid-rise buildings help provide more homes for Toronto’s growing population, including larger units (i.e. two or more bedrooms). Mid-rises can support local retail and make efficient use of existing infrastructure and services, while also helping to stabilize and potentially revitalize areas experiencing population decline.

The City continues to study and advance changes to policies, zoning, guidelines and processes to create a more supportive regulatory framework for mid-rise development.

Map showing distribution of new and old mid-rise building permissions across a city, with new permissions (2024 onward) highlighted in red and old permissions (prior to 2024) in gray. The map reveals clusters of new mid-rise developments.
Map Comparison of Permissions for Mid-Rises Across the City (Pre- and Post-2024)

The following are being considered and further studied by staff (see May 2026 Staff Report for more information):

For mid-rise buildings with 60 units or less:

  • Removing minimum requirements for indoor amenity space.

For mid-rise buildings with 61 units or more:

  • Reducing the overall amenity space requirement of 4 square metres per dwelling unit and allowing variability in the proportional distribution of the indoor and outdoor amenity space requirements; and,
  • Removing the requirement that indoor and outdoor amenity space be contiguous.

For all mid-rise buildings (5-14 storeys):

  • Applying greater flexibility in the location of amenity space; and,
  • Permitting indoor amenity space as part of a building’s mechanical penthouse footprint.

The following are being considered and further studied by staff (see May 2026 Staff Report for more information):

  • Provide staff and industry training on the bicycle parking zoning standards;
  • Expanding Payment-in-Lieu of Bicycle Parking eligibility from 50% to 100%;
  • Incentivizing the provision of on‑site Bike Share stations using discounts to Payment-in-Lieu of Bicycle Parking contributions; and,
  • Increasing flexibility for short-term bicycle parking locations.

The City recently completed a review of parking requirements for new development.

The following is being considered and further studied by staff (see May 2026 Staff Report for more information):

  • Reviewing the maximum permitted lot coverage percentage for residentially zoned small lots that abut a Major Street.

The following is being carried out by staff:

  • Undertaking a waste collection policy review and design innovation study to facilitate mid-rise developments.

Beginning in 2026 and into 2027, City Planning will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to select a multi-disciplinary team of consultants to conduct a comprehensive review of current Type G loading space requirements. This includes reviewing alternative waste collection approaches, and the comparative impact on construction costs, floorplans, commercial unit viability and overall building design. The review will also consider the current 31-unit cap threshold triggering the requirements for these spaces.

At its meeting on December 5, 2024, the Planning and Housing Committee (PHC) adopted the draft Mid-Rise Building Design Guidelines and directed that they be used in the evaluation of development proposals. The 2024 guidelines introduced significant changes to urban design guidance to facilitate the delivery and feasibility of mid-rise buildings, including the removal of angular plane requirements. PHC also directed that City Planning continue to consult on the Guidelines in 2025 and report back on any recommended modifications. The Mid-Rise Building Design Guidelines, which will incorporate recommendations resulting from those consultations and additional analysis, will be brought to PHC and City Council for consideration in Q1 of 2027.

The prescriptive requirements of the Ontario Building Code require multi-residential buildings over two storeys in height above-grade to have more than one means of exiting the building. Accordingly, an alternative solution is required to comply with the Ontario Building Code where a permit applicant is instead proposing a single means of exiting.

To assist designers, Toronto Building engaged a third-party Building Code consultant to study the feasibility of supporting an alternative solution for four-storey residential construction where the storeys above grade are served by a single exit stair enclosure.

The Single Exit Stair: Ontario Building Code Feasibility Study was presented to Toronto City Council through the Staff Report was presented to Toronto City Council through the staff report (see Item 2024.PH14.7).

  • On May 7, 2026, the Planning and Housing Committee adopted a Proposals Report with amendments on the Missing Middle and Mid-Rise Housing Implementation Initiative (Item 2026.PH30.8).
  • On July 23 and 24, 2025, City Council adopted the Missing Middle and Midrise Housing Implementation Initiative report with amendments (Item 2025.PH23.6).
  • On July 24 and 25, 2024, City Council adopted the Single Exit Stair: Ontario Building Code Feasibility Study report (Item 2024.PH14.7).
  • On October 30, 2025, the Planning and Housing Committee adopted a motion moved by Councillor Matlow to direct staff to undertake a comprehensive review of Type G loading space requirements and their interactions with waste collection standards (Item 2025.PH25.17).
  • On March 26, 2026, City Council adopted a motion moved by Councillor Matlow to direct staff to review the applicability of Type G loading space requirements for specialized housing projects that include combinations of bed‑sitting rooms/dwelling rooms and dwelling units (Item 2026.MM39.86).

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City of Toronto, Planning Division, collects your personal email address under the legal authority of the Planning Act, section 17(15); Toronto City Council Item 2025.PH23.6, as confirmed by the City of Toronto By-law 858-2025; and Toronto City Council Item 2026.RM41.3, as confirmed by the City of Toronto By-law 547-2026. The purpose of the collection is in connection with the Missing Middle and Mid-Rise Housing Implementation Initiative (adopted by Council on July 23, 2025), including to provide updates and seek feedback to inform potential changes. Questions about this collection can be directed to Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives, City Planning, Metro Hall, 22nd floor, 55 John Street, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3C6 or by telephone (416) 338 3148.

 

Date modified: July 22, 2026