Housing Now is an initiative to activate City-owned sites for the development of affordable housing within mixed-income, mixed-use, transit-oriented communities. Housing Now is one component of the City of Toronto’s HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan to address the full spectrum of housing issues in Toronto.
City Council launched Phase One of Housing Now in January 2019 with 11 sites. This phase is expected to deliver over 10,000 new homes, including approximately 3,700 affordable rental homes. Work is well underway to advance Phase One of the Housing Now Initiative.
In May 2020, six new sites were added to the Housing Now Initiative. The additional six sites are part of Housing Now Phase Two and are estimated to add between 1,455 and 1,710 new residential homes to the program, including approximately 1,060 to 1,240 purpose-built rental homes of which approximately 530 to 620 will be affordable rental homes.
In November 2021 City Council approved four additional sites to be added to the Housing Now Initiative as Phase Three. These sites are estimated to add between 1,150 and 1,400 new homes, including between 450 and 600 affordable rental homes. City Council also approved the creation of six pipeline sites, which can be added to future phases of the Housing Now Initiative once early feasibility assessments are complete.
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.
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 21 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.
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 2022.
| Stage 1: Business Case | Stage 2: Market Offering | Stage 3: Housing Delivery | |
| Key Actions |
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| Duration | 3-6 months | 7-12 months | 2-4 years |
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) and 150 Queens Wharf Road.
The second Housing Now Initiative Annual Report has additional information if you are interested in learning more.
For those sites with development concepts and related materials, there are specific webpages listed below:
For more information regarding upcoming public meetings please visit CreateTO’s Events web page.
Housing Now aims to create homes affordable for a diverse range of incomes including deeply affordable homes by setting rents between 4 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.
The following sites have advanced through a site specific planning process. More information is available below.
| Address | Complete Community Elements |
| 140 Merton Street |
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| 50 Wilson Heights Boulevard |
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| 777 Victoria Park Avenue |
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| 705 Warden Avenue |
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| 405 Sherbourne Street |
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| Bloor-Kipling Blocks 1, 2, 5 |
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| 150 Queens Wharf Road |
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| 158 Borough Drive |
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| 770 Don Mills Road |
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| 805 Don Mills Road |
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