Item - 2025.PH22.3

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning recommends that:

1. City Council amend Zoning By-law 569-2013, as amended, substantially in accordance with the draft Zoning By-law Amendment appended as Attachment 1 to this report.

2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft Zoning By-law Amendment as may be required.

3. City Council amend City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 415, Development of Land, Section 415-6 A. (2) substantially in accordance with Attachment 2 to this report.

4. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft amendment to the City of Toronto Municipal Code as may be required.

5. City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to continue to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law in facilitating multiplex developments, and to report to the Planning and Housing Committee by the end of 2027 on monitoring outcomes and any necessary revisions to the Official Plan, the Zoning By-law, or other changes to improve the implementation and facilitation of multiplex construction.

6. City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to consolidate all multiplex-related monitoring programs and report back by the end of 2027.

7. City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to continue to track and review the number of by-law protected trees damaged or removed as a result of the construction of multiplex developments, and the number and type of minor variances requested and approved for multiplex developments, as part of the monitoring program and to report on these findings to the Planning and Housing Committee by the end of 2027.

8. In coordination with ongoing monitoring of multiplex development, City Council request the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building, the General Manager, Toronto Water, and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to report back by the end of 2025, if necessary, on any changes to the City’s approval processes (including building permits) to assess sewer and water capacity impacts of multiplex development proposals.

Toronto is a dynamic, growing city which continues to attract newcomers, with at least 830,000 new Torontonians expected by 2051. Toronto’s Neighbourhoods present an opportunity to accommodate a component of that future growth. Allowing for additional units in multiplex building types, with the same general scale and built form characteristics of low-rise neighbourhoods, addresses Official Plan objectives to provide a wide range of housing types within our Neighbourhoods in a way that is gradual and sensitive to their context. Multiplexes are defined as a low-rise form of housing with two, three, or four units in a single building. This type of housing can support climate goals by allowing people to walk, bike, or take transit for some of their daily trips; allowing for less carbon-intensive construction; and helping to protect the regional greenspace system by better using urbanized land. It provides a housing option that can fit the needs of families, large households, and people who would prefer living in ground-related housing. It can also provide units for people to age in place in their neighbourhoods, to create housing for a family member, or to create additional units to help contribute to mortgage costs.

As part of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) initiative, City Council adopted Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to permit multiplexes city-wide and directed staff to monitor the implementation of multiplexes and report back on potential revisions to improve implementation.

This report discusses the outcome of the multiplex monitoring program and recommends further amendments to the zoning by-law to facilitate their construction, addresses issues emerging from monitoring and consultation, clarifies the application of Development Charges to multiplexes, and recommends continued monitoring in consultation with other City Divisions.

The proposed amendments include:

- Introduction of new “detached houseplex” and “semi-detached houseplex” defined terms, to move towards form-based zoning definitions and allow conversions between two and four units, including permissions for newly constructed semi-detached multiplexes;

- A maximum number of bedrooms per building, to distinguish between multiplexes and multi-tenant houses while providing flexibility and enabling family sized units;

- Regulations clarifying that reverse slope driveways are not permitted in multiplexes, consistent with all low-rise residential buildings;

- An interim approach to address restrictive Chapter 900 exceptions; and

- Zoning permissions for utility infrastructure on private property

There are no immediate financial implications resulting from the recommendations included in this report; however, there may be future financial implications that are driven by infrastructure needs for increased multiplex permissions across the city.

Infrastructure Needs

Because of their smaller scale and smaller impact, multiplexes are not subject to the same review process as larger residential development projects that require rezoning and/or Site Plan Control. Currently, building permit applications for multiplexes are reviewed for a service connection. The Ontario Building Code Act does not require building permit applications to be reviewed for servicing capacity for the proposed use.

Through the City’s Multiplex Monitoring Program, staff evaluated the impact of multiplexes on the City’s sewer system, including the impact on basement flooding. The findings indicate that while individual multiplexes contribute only minor increases in flow to the sewer system, in areas where combined sewers are located, longer-term concentration of multiplex development has the potential to exacerbate existing constraints to adequate sewer capacity during wet weather flow. This may increase the risk of basement flooding in certain locations.

This report recommends that staff consider any changes to the City’s approval processes (including building permits) to assess sewer and water capacity constraints of multiplex development proposals. Capital infrastructure upgrades to the sewer system may also be required. These matters will continue to be monitored in collaboration with Toronto Water. Any additional infrastructure needs will be addressed in future year budget processes.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the information as presented in the Financial Impact Section.