Housing Now

The Housing Now Initiative represents a new city-building approach to the use of surplus City-owned lands. The Initiative will stimulate the creation of complete communities with a range of new housing where residents can afford quality housing near transit.

Over the last decade, the cost of housing in Toronto and residents’ housing choices have become increasingly restricted. The cost of both rental and ownership housing has increased significantly, while incomes have not kept pace.

The affordable units created through Housing Now will, on average, rent for 80 per cent of Toronto’s average market rent.

Working with the Non-Profit and Co-operative Housing Sector

City Council approved a $1 million Non-Profit Housing Capacity Fund to support the participation of non-profit organizations in the Housing Now Initiative and to encourage their involvement in the market offering process for Housing Now sites, including the opportunity for long-term operation of the affordable rental units.

Additionally in the first phase of the Housing Now Initiative, four sites will be owned and operated by the non-profit and/or co-operative housing sectors.

As part of the three phases of the Housing Now Initiative, City Council has dedicated 22 City-owned sites for the development of affordable housing within mixed-income, mixed-use, transit-oriented communities. A number of sites have their own webpage with additional information as shown below.

Timeline

The Housing Now Initiative follows an accelerated model to ensure an expedited route to construction and occupancy with the expectation that a site will take two to four years to deliver from Business Case Development to Market Offering to Delivery. Construction on some of the sites is expected to begin in 2023.

Progress

Housing Now sites are at various stages of Business Case, Market Offering and Housing Delivery. To date, Council has approved the planning permissions for 140 Merton Street, 777 Victoria Park Avenue, 50 Wilson Heights Boulevard, 705 Warden Avenue, 405 Sherbourne Street, Bloor-Kipling (Blocks 1,2, and 5), 150 Queens Wharf Road, 158 Borough Drive, 770 Don Mills Road, 805 Don Mills Road and Parkdale Hub.

The third Housing Now Initiative Annual Report has additional information if you are interested in learning more.

To view sites with development concepts and related materials, visit their specific webpages listed in Sites.

For more information regarding upcoming public meetings please visit CreateTO’s Events web page.

Affordable to Whom?

Housing Now aims to create homes affordable for a diverse range of incomes including deeply affordable homes by setting rents between 40 per cent to 80 per cent of the City’s average market rents. At the time of occupancy, rents will be adjusted to reflect average market rent of that year.

Council Direction

• At its meeting On May 10, 2023, City Council adopted the Report: Housing Now Initiative – 2023 Progress Update which provides an annual update on the Housing Now Initiative and moved Parkdale Hub from a pipeline site to a Phase Three site.
• At its meeting on November 9, 10, and 12, 2021, City Council adopted the Report: Housing Now Initiative – Annual Progress Update and Launch of Phase Three Sites which provides an annual update on the Housing Now Initiative and approved the creation of Housing Now Phase 3, and Housing Now pipeline sites.
• On June 29, 2020, City Council adopted the Housing Now Initiative – Annual Progress Report which provides an annual update on the Housing Now Initiative including the current status of the Phase One sites.
• On May 28, 2020, City Council adopted the Creating New Affordable Housing Opportunities through Phase Two of the Housing Now Initiative report. This report recommended Council’s approval of six additional sites to the Housing Now Initiative.
• On January 30 and 31, 2019, City Council adopted the Implementing the Housing Now Initiative report.
• On December 4, 5 and 13, 2018, City Council approved the activation of 11 sites for the development of affordable housing as part of creating mixed-income, mixed-use and transit oriented communities.

Site Specific Approvals

The following sites have advanced through a site specific planning process. More information is available below.