Item - 2025.PH18.4

City Council considered the following Items together:

PH18.4 headed “Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods - Ward 23 Multiplex Study - Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments - Decision Report – Approval”;

PH18.5 headed “Housing Action Plan: Avenues Policy Review - Decision Report”; and

PH18.7 headed “Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition (MURA) Program Update”.

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council amend the Official Plan substantially in accordance with the proposed Official Plan Amendment 762 appended as Attachment 5 to the report (January 7, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2. City Council amend Zoning By-law 569-2013, as amended, substantially in accordance with the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment appended as Attachment 6 to the report (January 7, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

3. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the proposed Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments as may be required.

4. City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of Official Plan Amendment 762 and the Zoning By-law Amendment in facilitating fiveplex and sixplex developments, and to report to the Planning and Housing Committee in the second quarter of 2028 on monitoring outcomes and any necessary revisions to the Official Plan policy, Zoning By-law, or other changes to improve the implementation and facilitation of fiveplex and sixplex construction.

5. City Council direct the Executive Director, Environment, Climate and Forestry to refuse, at the Executive Director’s discretion, a permit to injure or destroy a tree protected under Municipal Code Chapters 608, 658, and 813, received in relation to a building permit application to construct or expand a multiplex building type, and to advise the applicant to meet with Development Review and Urban Forestry staff as appropriate to consider how the location, massing and design of the proposed building or expansion can be amended to protect the By-law protected tree(s) in question.

6. City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to track and review the number of by-law protected trees damaged or removed as a result of the construction of fiveplex and sixplex developments, and the number and type of minor variances requested and approved for fiveplex and sixplex developments, as part of the monitoring program and to report on these findings to the Planning and Housing Committee in the second quarter of 2028.

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Requested the Deputy City Manager, Development and Growth Services, to report directly to the February 5, 2025 City Council meeting on the status of the initiatives and milestones under the Housing Accelerator Fund.

The Planning and Housing Committee held a statutory public meeting on January 23, 2025, and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

Building on the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) City-wide Multiplex Study, City Council directed staff to undertake an area specific study within an area that roughly corresponds to the boundaries of Ward 23 – Scarborough North. The study explored the potential of permitting multiplexes with up to six dwelling units on properties designated Neighbourhoods in the Official Plan, and increasing the maximum building depth up to 19 metres, regardless of the lot dimensions.

This report summarizes the work undertaken and recommends approving area specific Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to permit multiplexes with five and six dwelling units (also referred to as fiveplexes and sixplexes, respectively) in all residential zones within the study area. The proposed amendments build on the existing city-wide multiplex permissions for up to four units, and do not include changes to built form performance standards. This study is a significant pilot which brings forward permissions to expand city-wide multiplex dwelling unit permissions from four to six units within a single residential home. This is one of 54 actions in Toronto's 2023 Housing Action Plan (HAP), which seeks to increase the housing supply within complete, inclusive, and sustainable communities with critical infrastructure to support growth. The new homes enabled by the HAP will contribute to the provincial housing target of 285,000 new homes in Toronto by 2031.

As part of the City’s commitments under the federal Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), the City has committed to permit more low-rise, multi-unit housing development through as-of-right zoning by-laws in Neighbourhoods, including permissions for residential buildings with up to six dwelling units. Adoption of the recommendations in this report marks a significant milestone towards meeting this commitment in 2025.

The recommended amendments are consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement 2024 and also in keeping with the recently adopted new Chapter 1 to the Official Plan vision, which aims to eliminate disparities, prioritize climate action, and become the world’s most inclusive city.

The Ward 23 Multiplex Study consisted of a work program that included a jurisdictional scan of multiplex permissions in other cities; a detailed review of multiplex development applications submitted to the city; a three-phased analysis prepared in consultation with ReHousing; and engagement with local residents and industry professionals. The key findings of the above streams of work were analyzed and informed the recommended Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments.

Expanding the multiplex permissions will increase new low-rise housing options for Torontonians in Ward 23. New residents in low-rise neighbourhoods can help stabilize declining populations, optimize the use of existing infrastructure, and support local retail establishments and services. While it is anticipated that most multiplex units will be delivered as market rental housing, they would provide ground-related alternatives, adding to the range of housing in Toronto’s low-rise, mid-rise, and tall building types. Additionally, these new permissions could unlock additional opportunities for individuals to access funding and low interest rate loans for housing projects through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). While the proposed amendments will expand the planning permission for up to six units, this report also details potential challenges to their implementation beyond simply adjusting the zoning permissions.  These issues, and other lessons learned through the Ward 23 Multiplex Study, will inform ongoing work being undertaken by City Planning and other Divisions to permit and promote multiplexes city-wide.