Item - 2024.PH13.4

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Directed the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to consult stakeholders and the public on the proposed draft zoning by-law amendment and report back with the final recommended zoning by-law amendment in the third quarter of 2024.

2. Directed the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to incorporate the updated Rear Transition Performance Standards 5A and 5B for Mid-rise Buildings appended as Attachment 2 to the report (May 27, 2024) from the Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in the draft consolidated Mid-Rise Building Urban Design Guidelines in the fourth quarter of 2024.

3. Requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the City Solicitor to report to the appropriate committee on the history and classification of Craven Road, and options to remove Craven Road from as-of-right planning permissions for garden suites due to the nature of the road.

The City is advancing several initiatives under the Housing Action Plan and the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) initiative to make changes to the City’s Official Plan, Zoning By-law and Urban Design Guidelines to enable more housing in neighbourhoods along major streets and Avenues, in transition zones and in major growth areas.

This report proposes amendments to the city-wide Zoning By-law 569-2013 to permit heights and densities that would enable mid-rise buildings on lands designated Mixed Use Areas in the Official Plan along Avenues. The draft zoning by-law amendment implements urban design performance standards, including updated standards for rear transition and increases height and density permissions. This report also provides an update on the Mid-rise Performance Standards Urban Design Guidelines with respect to rear transition.

The As-of-right Zoning for Mid-rise Buildings on Avenues proposal and updates to the Mid-rise Buildings Performance Standards are two of 54 initiatives under the Housing Action Plan. The proposed zoning by-law amendment and update to the Mid-rise Performance Standards Urban Design Guidelines with respect to rear transition would remove barriers, ease administration, and support the creation of more housing as part of the Housing Action Plan to achieve or exceed the provincial housing target of 285,000 new homes over the next 10 years.

Mid-rise buildings have heights generally no greater than the width of the right-of-way that the building fronts onto, up to 11 storeys. Mid-rise buildings are encouraged along Avenues designated Mixed Use Areas in the Official Plan, with their physical form and relationship to their context informed by the Mid-rise Building Performance Standards Urban Design Guidelines.

City Planning is conducting a comprehensive review of the Mid-Rise Building Performance Standards Urban Design Guidelines, and has completed initial updates to the performance standards for Rear Transitions between mid-rise buildings and other buildings or open space uses. This report summarizes the updated Rear Transition Performance Standards Urban Design Guidelines, which inform the proposed zoning by-law amendments to enable mid-rise buildings on Avenues. The final updated Rear Transition Performance Standards 5A and 5B will be formally incorporated in the consolidated Mid-rise Building Urban Design Guidelines document and presented to Planning and Housing Committee in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The as-of-right zoning for mid-rise buildings and updates to the Mid-Rise Building Rear Transition Performance Standards Urban Design Guidelines are only one of many actions in the Housing Action Plan that support the objective of enabling additional housing supply across Toronto’s Major Streets and Avenues. Other related action items include: the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) Major Streets Study, As-of-Right Zoning for Avenue Studies with no Implementing Zoning, the Avenues Policy Review, Expanding Mixed Use Areas, and Implementing Zoning for new Mixed Use Areas. City Planning has either reported out on the actions such as the Major Streets Study or is working to advance these action items in a comprehensive and integrated manner.