The recommended zoning by-law for Midtown Apartment Neighbourhoods-designated lands was adopted by City Council on February 7, 2024.
Zoning by-laws are tools cities use to control the use of land. They are authorized by Section 34 of the Planning Act. They contain criteria and requirements for development and they implement the City’s Official Plan. Zoning by-laws regulate permitted uses, building types, the location, height, density, spacing and character of buildings, as well as parking and loading requirements, among others.
Zoning in some areas of Midtown needs to be revised to implement the City’s Official Plan and the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan. City Council directed the zoning review for Midtown’s 22 Character Areas, as identified in the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan.
Consultation materials on the Midtown Zoning Review and the Built Form Study, including meeting summaries and presentation materials, are available on the Get Involved page.
The Zoning Review includes three discrete components.
Midtown Toronto encompasses the Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan Area, extending roughly from Blythwood Road to the Kay Gardner Beltline Trail, and from Chaplin Crescent to east of Bayview Avenue.
This 600 hectare area is home to a diverse population, a number of distinct neighbourhoods, a concentration of employment uses, and busy retail streets. There are over 72,000 residents (2021 Census) and 33,000 jobs within Midtown. The area also includes two subway stations on the Yonge-University Line and several planned stops on the future Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
The area is represented by City Councillors for Wards 8 (Eglinton-Lawrence), 12 (Toronto-St. Paul’s) and 15 (Don Valley West).
The Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan introduced the concept of Character Areas for Midtown. In total there are 22 Character Areas that are organized into five groupings. Each grouping includes four or five character areas that share common development objectives or characteristics, such as land use, building types and built form.
Through the Midtown Zoning Review, it is anticipated that revised zoning will be put in place for each of these Character Areas.
Fall 2019 – Midtown Zoning Review launched
Early 2020 – Consultants retained for Built Form Study, to review and make recommendations on built form scenarios to implement the Provincially-approved OPA 405.
2020-2022 – Estimates of population and employment generated
2020-2023 – Ongoing consultation on the zoning review
Fall 2021 – Public consultation on the proposed zoning framework, and status report to Planning and Housing Committee
Spring 2022 – Public consultation on the development of zoning provisions for CR zoned areas, and for rezoning for 5 Character Areas comprised of the Midtown ‘Villages’
June 2022 – City Council adopted zoning provisions for CR zoned areas, and adopted revised zoning for five Character Areas comprised of the Midtown ‘Villages’
January 2023 – Public consultation on rezoning for select low-rise areas
May 2023 – City Council adopted rezoning for select low-rise areas
June 2023 – Public consultation on rezoning for Apartment Neighbourhoods
January 2024 – Report to Planning and Housing Committee and Council regarding rezoning for Apartment Neighbourhoods
Note: this is a simplified timeline – please see reports for additional detail.
Revised zoning is advancing in stages to implement the Secondary Plan.
The ‘Villages’ Character Areas include:
City Council adopted the ‘Villages’ zoning by-law amendment in June 2022.
City Council adopted zoning by-law amendments for select low-rise areas in May 2023, one of which applies to areas along:
The other zoning by-law amendment adopted in this phase applies to properties along Eglinton Avenue West, roughly across from Eglinton Park and between Oriole Parkway and Duplex Avenue.
City Council adopted a zoning by-law amendment for Apartment Neighbourhoods designated lands in February 2024. The zoning by-law amendment applies to lands in character areas: