On December 15, 2023,
City Council adopted a
Zoning By-law Amendment to implement changes to Zoning By-law 569-2013 as part of
Phase 1 of the Zoning By-law Simplification & Modernization for Low-rise Residential Zones study. These amendments are in effect as no appeals were received.
The Zoning By-law Simplification and Modernization in Low-rise Residential Zones Study is a component of the City’s Housing Action Plan that seeks to achieve or exceed the provincial housing target of 285,000 new homes over the next 10 years. This study will explore potential changes to Zoning By-law 569-2013 with the aim of removing barriers, easing administration, and enabling the creation of more housing.
Potential changes will be guided by three key themes of Simplification, Harmonization, and Modernization.
More information on potential changes under each theme and details about opportunities for input can be found below.
Key Themes
Simplification
Proposed changes to reduce confusion, remove redundant provisions, and simplify wording where appropriate.
Potential changes include:
- Updating and clarifying zoning regulations to eliminate confusion and duplication regarding secondary suites and multiplexes.
Harmonization
Proposed changes to align regulations between building types and zones, as appropriate, to reflect current best practices.
Potential changes include:
- Aligning Main Wall Height (MWH) provisions between building types (e.g. detached and semi-detached houses) and across zones.
- Harmonizing building depth permissions for low-rise apartment buildings and townhouses in the R zone.
Modernization
Proposed changes to modernize zoning regulations and move towards a more form-based approach to land use regulation.
Potential changes include:
- Exploring alternatives to regulating Floor Space Index (FSI) to move the city-wide zoning by-law towards a more form-based approach to land use regulation that focuses on the external characteristics of a building.
Phase 1
Changes advanced in Phase 1 of the study, and adopted by City Council on December 13, 2023 include:
R Zone
- Updates to permissions for secondary suites and introduction of conversion regulations to allow existing detached and semi-detached houses to be converted to low-rise apartment buildings (instead of multiple secondary suites), while still applying the same standards as a detached or semi-detached house;
- Updates to the height threshold for low-rise apartment buildings (less than 13.0m) to align with revisions to permitted heights in the former City of Toronto by the Ontario Land Tribunal;
- Main wall height permissions for flat roof detached house, semi-detached houses and townhouses harmonized with Multiplex buildings;
- Building depth for apartment buildings and townhouses harmonized with Multiplex and detached and semi-detached houses;
- Side yard setback for low-rise apartment buildings harmonized with Multiplex buildings.
RS & RM Zones
- Main wall height for flat roof detached and semi-detached houses harmonized with Multiplex buildings;
By-law 1313-2023 is now in full force and effect and will be included in the next Office Consolidation of Zoning By-law 569-2013.
Phase 2
Work in Phase 2 of the study will explore:
- Modernization of regulations for building area (FSI) and footprint (Lot Coverage);
- Simplification of building type definitions; and
- Additional topics that may be identified through consultation and related studies.
For information on upcoming consultation events, please see Meetings & Events.
Meetings & Events
Upcoming Meetings & Events
Information on future meetings will be posted on this page.
Past Meetings & Events
On October 26 and 27, 2023, City Planning hosted virtual public consultation meetings to present proposed zoning changes as part of Phase 1 of the Zoning By-law Simplification and Modernization in Low-rise Residential Zones study. A copy of the consultation presentation is available.
