Agenda

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Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Confirmation of Minutes - September 26, 2024

Speakers/Presentations: The speakers list will be posted online at 8:30 a.m. on October 30, 2024

Communications/Reports

The Interim 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 attached as Attachment 2 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.

The recommended As-of-right Zoning for Mid-rise Buildings on Avenues is one of 54 Housing Action Plan initiatives 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. 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.

This report recommends a zoning by-law amendment to permit as-of-right heights and densities for mid-rise buildings on lands identified as Avenues and designated Mixed Use Areas in the Official Plan. The recommended zoning by-law amendment implements urban design performance standards, including updated standards for rear transition alongside the increases to height and density permissions. These changes will enable and expand mid-rise development on the Avenues without the need for a site-specific zoning approval. Property owners would continue to be able to seek additional height or density through a minor variance where appropriate.  The recommended changes have the potential to unlock an increase of almost 61,000 dwelling units above the approximately 21,500 dwelling units achievable under existing zoning standards.

The recommended zoning by-law amendment 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.

City Planning has also been 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. 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 Q4 2024.

City Planning confirms that there are no financial implications resulting from the recommendations included in this report in the current budget year or in future years.

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

The City is advancing several initiatives under the Housing Action Plan (HAP) 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. The HAP includes a number of action items that address mid-rise development and Mixed Use Areas along major streets, Avenues, in transition zones and in major growth areas. These initiatives build on each other to facilitate growth at all scales, unlocking more housing types along the Major Streets and Avenues, while identifying more opportunities throughout the city for taller buildings, and providing choice for residents. The work program focuses on updating the City’s policies and zoning permissions to expand the Avenues and Mixed Use Areas, update built form and public realm standards, and implement as-of-right zoning permissions to make it easier, faster, and cheaper to build mid-rise buildings.

In 2010, the Avenues and Mid-Rise Buildings Study and Performance Standards resulted in a set of generalized urban design guidelines to help catalyze the re-urbanization of the Avenues while providing transition to adjacent areas. From 2010 to 2023, over 136 mid-rise buildings were completed. 

This supplementary report provides an overview of the HAP’s Avenues, Mid-rise and Mixed-Use Areas projects, how they cumulatively remove barriers, ease administration, and support the goal to achieve or exceed the provincial housing target of 285,000 new homes over the next 10 years, to continue to achieve intensification and housing opportunities along Toronto’s Avenues.  Together, the outcomes of the work program may include expansion of the lands that benefit from the Avenues policy framework; an increase in the planned intensification along Avenues; and as-of-right zoning permissions for intensification that will reduce the need for mid-rise development to obtain site-specific zoning permissions.  Key opportunities to enable additional residential intensification through the work program are:

-  On-going review of mid-rise design guidelines to consider taller and denser built-form along Avenues;

-  The Official Plan review of Avenue policies, followed by implementing zoning; and

Re-examining older Avenue Studies.

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

1. City Council amend Zoning By-law 569-2013, substantially in accordance with the draft Zoning By-law Amendment attached as Attachments 2a and 2b to this report.

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

This report outlines the analysis, consultation process, and recommended zoning amendments to advance the first phase of work to incorporate low-rise residential lands in Toronto and East York District into Zoning By-law 569-2013 (the "City-wide Zoning By-law). Staff recommend bringing low-rise residential lands into the City-wide Zoning By-law with zoning standards that are consistent with the applicable former municipal zoning by-law, consistent with recent city-wide zoning amendments, and in conformity with the Official Plan. These properties had active zoning by-law amendment or site plan control applications in 2012 and were excluded from the City-wide Zoning By-law through the transition protocol.

This study is part of the on-going work to simplify and modernize the City-wide Zoning By-law, and to support consistent application of the City-wide Zoning By-law. Bringing these lands into the City-wide Zoning By-law will remove barriers, ease administration, and enable the creation of more housing as part of the Housing Action Plan. In addition, the recommended zoning by-law amendment will enable properties to take advantage of the removal of parking minimums and permissions for a broad range of "missing middle" housing permissions in support of the Housing Action Plan and its target of 285,000 homes over the next ten years.

City staff have completed the first phase of the study's work plan for the Toronto and East York district, by reviewing approximately 327 properties subject to former municipal zoning by-laws and assessing the appropriateness of each property for inclusion in the City-wide Zoning By-law. This report recommends approval of the attached zoning amendments to incorporate approximately 190 low-rise residential properties into the City-wide Zoning By-law.

City Planning confirms that there are no financial implications resulting from the recommendations included in this report in the current budget year or in future years.

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

The Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the Executive Director, Development Review, recommend that:

1. City Council amend the Official Plan for the lands at 72 Amroth Avenue substantially in accordance with the draft Official Plan Amendment attached as Attachment 5 to this report.

2. City Council amend Zoning By-law 569-2013 for the lands at 72 Amroth Avenue substantially in accordance with the draft Zoning By-law Amendment attached as Attachment 6 to this report.

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

4. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services, to review and report back on the feasibility of amending Schedule B of the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 925, Permit Parking, to exclude the development located at 72 Amroth Avenue from Permit Parking.

5. City Council request the Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to report to Planning and Housing Committee following the completion of the Site Plan Control process at 72 Amroth Avenue with an updated Key Findings document discussing the Site Plan Control process.

The Beaches-East York Pilot Project (“the Pilot Project”) is part of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods ("EHON") initiative. The Pilot Project was initiated with the purpose of building a missing middle demonstration project in consultation with the community and the development industry on City-owned land within the Beaches-East York neighbourhood (Ward 19).

This report recommends amending the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to permit a development on a City-owned site located at 72 Amroth Avenue. The proposal includes a six-storey apartment building fronting Amroth Avenue with a height of 19.5 metres (23.5 metres with the mechanical penthouse), and a three-storey fourplex with a height of 9.95 metres and a three-storey duplex with a height of 9.65 metres at the rear of the lot. The development has a total of 34 residential units, 39 bicycle parking spaces and 2,353 square metres of gross floor area.

The proposal is an appropriate example of intensification within designated Neighbourhoods. It is in a form that is respectful of the adjacent low-rise detached houses, while making use of an underutilized site near a major transit station and adjacent Danforth Avenue. The Danforth Study from Coxwell Avenue to Victoria Park Avenue further recommends a mid-rise built form of up to eleven-storeys on this segment of Danforth Avenue. It advances a design which includes the provision of six accessible units, exceeding the Toronto Accessibility Design Guidelines requirement for 15 percent of the total number of units be accessible and adaptable, and a unit mix which meets the City of Toronto Growing Up Guidelines regarding the provision of two and three-bedroom units. As a City-initiated project, it will meet at least Version 4, Tier 2 of the Toronto Green Standard. The proposal preserves the five existing mature trees on site.

The processes and approaches developed through this initiative are intended to inform how missing middle projects may be built on other sites, both publicly and privately owned. In support of this goal, City staff have also developed a set of Key Findings to inform the creation of future policy and process changes for expanding housing options in neighbourhoods, including work on transition zones through the Housing Action Plan and work on enabling permissions for low-rise multi-unit residential buildings through the Housing Accelerator Fund. The Key Findings are included as Attachment 16 of this report.

City staff recommend approval of the City-initiated Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments and associated recommendations.

City staff and CreateTO staff confirm that, at this stage, there are no financial implications resulting from the recommendations included in this report in the current budget year or in future years.

The next phase of the Pilot Project will see CreateTO report out on a business case to CreateTO’s Board of Directors in preparation for a market offering. City Council has specifically directed that any current development planning underway or contemplated on a Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) lot be required to include affordable housing. As 72 Amroth Avenue is currently operated as a Toronto Parking Authority parking facility, CreateTO, in consultation with the Housing Secretariat, has advanced work to consider the delivery of affordable housing units as part of the Pilot Project.

The business case to CreateTO’s Board of Directors will include consideration of new and/or existing funding programs that could be leveraged to support the delivery of affordable units within small-scale developments in the City of Toronto’s Neighbourhoods and will speak to the financial implications on the City associated with the provision of affordable units at 72 Amroth Avenue. Any potential financial impacts related to the delivery of affordable housing units will be identified and submitted for consideration through future budget processes.

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

The Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building recommends: 

1. City Council establish a new chapter in the City of Toronto Municipal Code substantially in accordance with the draft bylaw attached as "Attachment A" to this report, to regulate the licensing of renovations for residential rental units in the City of Toronto and require that the provisions apply to all rental units in Toronto unless exempted in the bylaw.

2. City Council direct that the new Municipal Code chapter come into effect on July 31, 2025.

3. City Council amend City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 441, Fees and Charges in accordance with the draft by-law in "Attachment D" to this report, by creating and adding a new fee for a Rental Renovation Licence of $700.00 (plus Harmonized Sales Tax) per rental unit, effective July 31, 2025, and adjusted yearly for inflation.

4. City Council direct the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building to include the staffing and resources, and introduction of a new Rental Renovation Licence user fee required for the implementation of the bylaw to address renovictions as described in the October 16, 2024 report from the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building " Implementing a Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw to Address Renovictions" through the 2025 Operating Budget process.

5. City Council direct the Chief Communications Officer, Strategic Public and Employee Communications, in consultation with the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building, and the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat to develop a communications strategy with appropriate funding established through the 2025 budget process. This strategy should include a multilingual public education campaign for Toronto tenants, landlords, and other interested parties, focusing on the following:

a. Informing tenants of the Bylaw.

b. Informing landlords of the new licensing standards and their obligations under the Bylaw.

c. In partnership with Toronto Building and the Housing Secretariat informing relevant advocacy and industry associations about the Bylaw to enable their support for both tenants and landlords; and

d. Implementing the strategy in two phases: 1) The initial rollout of the new bylaw, and 2) A continued program to educate landlords and tenants.

6. City Council request the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building, in consultation with the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and Chief Communications Officer, Strategic Public and Employee Communications to develop publicly accessible communication materials to support the effective administration and enforcement of the bylaw, including multi-lingual guidelines for landlords and tenants to support the bylaw requirements for a Tenant Accommodation Plan or Tenant Compensation Plan.

7. City Council direct the Chief Technology Officer, Technology Services, in consultation with the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building to support the effective administration and enforcement of the Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw, by ensuring that any required technology enhancements identified by Toronto Building are implemented and a searchable online registry for Rental Renovation Licences is available prior to July 31, 2025.

8. City Council request the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building, in consultation with the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and Chief Technology Officer, to monitor and provide a status update to City Council on the implementation of the Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw by July 31, 2027, including key indicators such as the number of licences issued, tenant inquiries received, enforcement actions taken, communications strategies implemented, and recommendations for any amendments to the Bylaw, technology resources and support, or staffing levels, in order to strengthen its effectiveness in addressing tenant evictions in the City of Toronto related to the illegitimate use of N13 notices to end tenancy.

9. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the necessary bills to give effect to City Council's decision and authorize the City Solicitor to make any necessary clarifications, refinements, minor modifications, technical amendments, or bylaw amendments as may be identified by the City Solicitor and the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building.

This report responds to the June 26, 2024, City Council directive to staff to develop a “Hamilton-style” renovictions bylaw (Renovictions Bylaw) and implementation framework to protect tenants and prevent "renovictions". A renoviction is when a landlord illegitimately evicts a tenant by alleging that vacant possession of a rental unit is needed to undertake renovations or repairs. Renovictions can include refusing to allow a tenant who has exercised their right of first refusal to return post-renovation, illegally raising the rent on a returning tenant, or not undertaking major renovations after evicting renters. This results in the displacement of tenants, the permanent loss of affordable market rental housing, and contributes to rising homelessness in Toronto.

As rent policies and landlord-tenant matters fall under provincial jurisdiction, the City of Toronto has urged the Province to take action against renovictions, including enforcing the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023 (Bill 97), improving Landlord and Tenant Board processes, introducing vacancy rent control, requiring temporary relocation assistance during renovations, and creating a centralized data system for rental properties and evictions. In the absence of these provincial changes, Toronto has developed local solutions. In 2022, City Council adopted a Renovictions Policy to guide the development of a bylaw to curb evictions done under the pretext of a renovation, protect tenants, and preserve affordable rental housing.

The City of Hamilton was the first Ontario municipality to pass a bylaw requiring landlords to obtain a licence before undertaking renovations that necessitate tenant eviction. In June 2024, the Planning and Housing Committee reviewed a staff report analyzing Hamilton’s bylaw and directed staff to undertake consultations with affected stakeholders and recommended a similar approach for Toronto. Over August and September, the City undertook a multi-channel consultation program consisting of focus groups with housing advocates, tenants rights experts, landlord and tenants associations, six city-wide in-person consultations and one virtual consultation, and a public survey. The results of this feedback, and analysis by City staff, have informed the Renovictions Bylaw proposed in this report that will require landlords to:

• Apply for a Rental Renovation Licence within seven days of issuing an N13 notice to end tenancy

• Obtain a building permit before applying for the Rental Renovation Licence

• Obtain and submit a report from a qualified person identifying that the renovation or maintenance work is so extensive that the tenant must leave the unit, and pay a Rental Renovation Licence fee of $700.00 per unit

• Post a Tenant Information Notice at the subject unit to inform the tenant of the licence application and to enable the tenant to seek information about their rights

• Complete a plan to provide tenant(s) who choose to return to their units with temporary, comparable housing at similar rents, or provide monthly rent-gap payments (based on post-2015 average market rents) to cover the rent difference, with tenants finding their own temporary housing

• Provide moving allowances to all tenants

• Provide tenants with severance compensation where the tenant is choosing not to return to the unit after the renovation or repair work is complete

• Post the issued Rental Renovation Licence on the door of the unit

This report recommends the Renovictions Bylaw take effect on July 31, 2025, allowing staff sufficient time to undertake appropriate education and communication efforts. The Toronto Building Division will implement and enforce the bylaw. Toronto Building staff are well positioned to inform landlords of their obligations under the bylaw early in the building permit process and will develop clear, understandable and multi-lingual public-facing guidelines to support compliance.  Staff heard clearly during public engagement of the importance of proactively updating tenants on the status of renovation licence and building permit-related work. Toronto Building will be actively monitoring building permits on units where renovation licences have been issued to support the timely completion of work and facilitate the ability of tenants to return to their rental unit as quickly as possible.

The proposed framework is intended to balance the need to address the misuse of renovations as an excuse to evict tenants, with the need for renovations and repair work that are necessary in Toronto with its often aging, existing rental housing stock. Adopting Toronto’s Renovictions Bylaw will significantly improve health, social, and economic outcomes for tenants and support the HousingTO Plan.

This staff report has been written in consultation with the Housing Secretariat, Municipal Licensing and Standards, Legal Services and Strategic Public and Employee Communications.

During the consideration of PH13.7 entitled "Renovictions Policy Implementation: Review of Hamilton Renovation Licence and Tenant Relocation By-law and developing a Toronto Renovictions Bylaw", City staff indicated that the implementation of a bylaw to address renovictions could not be fully funded through cost recovery and would require new and dedicated funding to operate a renovation licensing program.  This would mean that Toronto Building is no longer fully funded by building permit fees under the Building Code Act with the remainder to be funded by the property tax base.

Implementation of the recommendations contained in this report to establish and operate the proposed Renovictions Bylaw will require additional permanent staff resources for handling inquiries, operating a licensing program, conducting investigations, and undertaking enforcement actions.

Eight additional Toronto Building staff will respond to general inquiries, receive and review applications, and issue licences. Six additional inspectors will enable Toronto Building to enforce the Renovictions Bylaw and carry out inspections and investigations.

It is estimated that the 2025 cost (half-year) of these 14 positions would be $0.938 million gross, and the full year impact will be $1.782 million gross in 2026. The report also recommends a comprehensive public education and communication strategy which will cost approximately $0.5 million gross, prior to the Renovictions Bylaw’s effective date on July 31, 2025 and up to $0.3 million gross in 2026 and subsequent years to fund continued communication actions.

The City’s User Fee Policy requires that new fees be determined on a cost recovery basis. However, it is difficult at this moment to accurately predict licence volumes based on available data, making it problematic to determine an application fee that would enable full cost recovery. Consistent with other municipalities pursuing a renovation licensing program, staff recommend that the permit fee be established with low-cost recovery. Further, through the engagement process, staff heard that if a fee was too high, it may incentivize N13 notices during the implementation period, prior to the bylaw’s effective date, or incentivize non-compliance. 

The recommended licence fee is $700.00 per rental unit which results in annual revenue of $0.112 million based on an estimated 160 renoviction licences. A strategic low cost-recovery fee (of approximately 6 percent) is recommended in order to mitigate against the loss of rental stock due to high costs of compliance, avoid discouraging landlords from investing in property maintenance and routine repair of existing rental units, and encourage compliance where a tenant is appropriately required to vacate the unit. The recommended fee is consistent with the licence fee adopted by the City of Hamilton ($715.00).  

Multi-tenant Housing (MTH) operators and yet-to-be licensed Multi-tenant Housing operators who are undertaking renovations to comply with requirements of the Multi-tenant Housing framework would be exempt from the proposed renovation licence application fee, as discussed in this staff report. While the exact cost of providing a fee waiver for Multi-tenant Housing operators is difficult to determine while the new Multi-tenant Housing framework is being implemented, staff anticipate that it would not have a significant financial impact due to the small scope of this housing type compared to other residential rental housing types.

Under the User Fee Policy, the recommended licence fee will be reviewed annually as part of the budget process in order to adjust for inflationary changes and reflect the level or standard of service delivery. 

Taking into account the user fee revenue, the balance of $1.970 million required to operate the program is proposed to be funded 60 percent through building permit fees under the Building Code Act. In 2025, the half-year impact to establish the program would be $1.382 million gross and $0.38 million net after considering the licence fee and the annualized impact would be $1.970 million gross and $0.788 million net in 2026.

As previously directed by City Council on June 24, 2024 during the consideration of PH13.7, the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building, will report through the 2025 and 2026 Budget processes on the full budget and resource impacts of the Renovictions Bylaw implementation as described in this report.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has been advised of the financial impacts associated with this program to be considered along with other priorities in the 2025 and future budget processes.

The Deputy City Manager, Development and Growth Services recommends that:  

1. Planning and Housing Committee receive this report for information.

This report responds to Planning and Housing Committee's direction for staff to report on development review timeline metrics to the Planning and Housing Committee on a quarterly basis (2023.PH6.2). Quarterly reports include the following:

a. Average timeline to complete the Pre-Application Consultation Process; 

b. Average timeline to reach a decision on a Zoning By-law Application;

c. Average timeline to reach a decision on a combined Official Plan Amendment/Zoning By-law Application; and

d. Average timeline to approve a Site Plan Application. 

In addition to a description of the metrics listed above, the report provides context on how ongoing improvements to the development review process impact application review timelines in the medium to long term.

To date, staff have advanced three quarterly reports: Q1 2024 (2024.PH9.2), Q2 2024 (2024.PH11.5), and Q3 2024 (2024.PH14.4). Reporting has evolved to reflect ongoing legislative change and to improve data accuracy and interpretation, as detailed in the Comments section of this report.

There are no financial implications resulting from the recommendations included in this report. As addressed in a previous related report, (2022.EX1.4), Bill 109 presented significant risk to the City's cost recovery model of development review services.

On June 6, 2024, Bill 185, the Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act received Royal Assent. Bill 185 removed application fee refund provisions introduced under Bill 109. Bill 185 does not waive any application fee refund eligibility accrued under Bill 109, potentially resulting in ongoing financial impact to municipalities.

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

The Executive Director, Housing Secretariat recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat to negotiate and enter into, on behalf of the City, a municipal housing facility agreement (the City's Contribution Agreement) with the housing provider described in Table 2 in the Financial Impact section of this report October 16, 2024 from the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, to secure affordable housing in accordance with the Municipal Housing Facility By-Law (By-law 713-2024) in return for the exemption from taxation for municipal and school purposes, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, in a form approved by the City Solicitor.

2. City Council authorize an exemption from taxation for municipal and school purposes for the properties and periods of time described in Table 2 in the Financial Impact section of this report October 16, 2024 from the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, with the tax exemption being effective from the "Effective Date" of the City's Contribution Agreement.

3. City Council authorize the Controller to cancel or refund any taxes paid after the Effective Date of the City's Contribution agreement.

4. City Council direct the City Clerk to give written notice of each By-law authorizing the municipal housing facility agreements to the Minister of Finance, and written notice of each By-law authorizing an exemption from taxation for municipal and school purposes to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, and to the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board, le Conseil scolaire Viamonde, and le Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir, as appropriate. 

In December 2019, City Council approved the Community Housing Partnership Renewal Program (“CHPR”), a new program designed to incentivize former federal non-profit housing providers with expired operating agreements to enter into new agreements with the City. Through the program, community housing providers commit to maintaining their rental housing as affordable, and potentially deepening the level of affordability provided to households, in exchange for a property tax exemption and housing benefits for their residents. The program provides a viable and cost-effective approach to preserve the supply of affordable rental housing in Toronto, representing a fraction of what the City would need to invest to replace them with newly constructed or acquired affordable homes. The Community Housing Partnership Renewal Program has secured approximately 700 affordable rental homes with 6 non-profit housing providers since its inception.

The implementation of CHPR requires site-specific authority from Council to approve individual municipal housing facility agreements for participating community housing providers. The purpose of this report is to obtain Council authority for the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat to enrol Church of Atonement Senior Citizens (“Church of Atonement”), a non-profit housing provider with a total of 76 affordable rental homes, for a 20-year term, into the program. In addition to securing affordable rental homes, agreements under CHPR will deepen affordability for residents through the provision of housing benefits.

This report seeks Council authority for Executive Director, Housing Secretariat to enrol Church of Atonement into the Community Housing Partnership Renewal Program to enter into a new agreement with Church of Atonement, for a total of 76 affordable rental homes for a 20-year term under the CHPR program. Of the affordable rental homes, 45 of them will have a housing benefit attached, to provide rent that is geared to the household’s income. There is no new financial impact associated with the disbursement of the housing benefits, as the additional 45 benefits are included in the Housing Secretariat’s approved 2024 Operating Budget.

The estimated total net present value of the property tax exemptions over the relevant affordability periods is shown in Table 1. The final value of the property tax exemptions will be determined by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

Table 1: Total Annual and Net Present Value of Property Tax Exemptions

*based on 2024 tax rates and a Net Present Value discount rate of 3%.

Table 2: Breakdown of Annual Property Tax Exemptions

City incentives are estimated at $0.141 million annually, with a projected net present value of $2.105 million in property taxes over the 20-year affordability period, as outlined in Table 1 and Table 2. These incentives are not direct payments from the City but represent forgone revenues.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information. 

The Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management recommend that:

1. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, to extend the lease agreements, on the existing terms and conditions, with Alexandra Park Housing Co-operative and Beech Hall Housing Co-operative, by up to one year, if necessary, to allow adequate time for the negotiation of the terms of the new lease agreements and operating agreements.

2. City Council direct the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat to report to Planning and Housing Committee in 2025, following the execution of new lease agreements with Alexandra Park Housing Co-operative and Beech Hall Housing Co-operative, with recommendations to secure exemptions from taxation for municipal and school purposes for Alexandra Park Housing Co-operative and Beech Hall Housing Co-operative, in accordance with the Municipal Housing Facility By-Law.

On June 26, 2024, through PH13.9 - Community Housing Sector Modernization and Growth Strategy, City Council approved a new Policy Framework for Ground Leases with Community Housing Providers (“Policy Framework”). This Policy Framework provides a guide for the City when making decisions to renew, amend, or enter into new ground lease agreements with Community Housing Providers which operate a vital part of Toronto's affordable housing stock.

Staff were directed to report back by October 30, 2024 to Planning and Housing Committee on the status of lease negotiations with the Beech Hall Housing Co-operative (“Beech Hall”) and Alexandra Park Housing Co-operative (“Alexandra Park”) and, should it be necessary, make recommendations to extend the current lease arrangements until such time as new leases are finalized.

Beech Hall is a collection of 16 two-storey walk-up apartment buildings providing 128-units to low-income seniors (aged 55 or over) at 2 Humber Boulevard (Ward 5 – York South-Weston) in the community of Mount Dennis. In 1980, Beech Hall entered into a 45-year ground lease agreement with the former Borough of York, which is set to expire on January 3, 2025. The recommendations in this report would result in Beech Hall continuing to occupy its premises while negotiations for a new lease agreement and a new operating agreement are concluded.

Alexandra Park is composed of 104-units in four low-rise apartment buildings and 39 townhouses providing housing for low-income individuals and families at 25 Eden Place (10 – Spadina-Fort York). On April 1, 1972, Alexandra Park entered into an agreement with the City to build in the Alexandra Park redevelopment area. On February 1, 1974, the building was substantially completed and the City and the Alexandra Park entered into a 50-year lease agreement, which expired on January 31, 2024. Alexandra Park continues to occupy its premises while negotiations for a new lease agreement and a new operating agreement are concluded. 

This report provides an update on the current status and next steps of lease negotiations with Beech Hall and Alexandra Park, and requests Council’s authority to extend current leases by up to one year.

There are no financial impacts associated with this report.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial implications as identified in this Financial Impact section.

The Executive Director, Development Review and Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning recommend that:

1. The Planning and Housing Committee receive this report for information.

This report provides an overview of the progress to date on the McCleary District Precinct Plan. The study is being undertaken by a project team led by CreateTO, working closely with the City of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto. Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments will accompany the Precinct Plan in a final report, targeted for early 2025.

The McCleary Precinct is bounded by the Don Roadway to the west, Commissioners Street to the south, Lake Shore Boulevard East to the north and Logan Avenue to the east. Of the developable land in the Precinct, approximately two-thirds is City of Toronto and CreateTO lands.

The McCleary District Precinct is envisioned to grow into a dense, urban mixed-use, mixed-income, complete community in the Port Lands. It also plays a unique role as a transitional area between the emerging mixed-use areas (the new island, formerly Villiers Island, and East Harbour) the Productions, Interactive and Creative ("PIC") employment-focussed districts (Turning Basin and Media City), as well as the port and industrial areas that continue to be instrumental to meeting city building objectives in the area (South Port and East Port).

The purpose of the study is to implement the policy direction in the Central Waterfront Secondary Plan, providing detailed design and implementation guidance for development in the Precinct. The study is sufficiently advanced to inform ongoing discussions about private lands in the Precinct with under-appeal development applications, in the context of Ontario Land Tribunal appeals with key information and exchange dates occurring through Q4 of 2024.

The City Planning and Development and Growth Divisions confirm that there are no financial implications resulting from the recommendation included in this report in the current budget year or in future years.

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

This report provides updates on the City of Toronto’s phased implementation respecting changes to the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) enacted as part of Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 ("Bill 23") and Bill 200, the Homeowner Protection Act, 2024 ("Bill 200"). The Bill 23 amendments came into effect on January 1, 2023, while the Bill 200 amendments came into effect on June 6, 2024.

Staff are implementing a phased approach to the Ontario Heritage Act amendments. Phase one included making changes to existing policy and procedures to enable the City to identify and conserve heritage properties undergoing redevelopment within the new Ontario Heritage Act legislative context. Phase one concluded in 2023. Phase two focuses on addressing amendments made to Section 27 of the Ontario Heritage Act that impact Council authorized properties included on the City's Heritage Register (the "Register") that are not yet designated under the Ontario Heritage Act ("Listed Properties").

The Bill 23 amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act that relate to Listed Properties include provisions to deem that properties will be removed from the Register two years after their listing date, if no further action is taken by Council to designate the properties under either Parts IV or V of the Ontario Heritage Act. The original removal deadline of January 1, 2025, was extended an additional two years through Bill 200 for properties on the Register on or before January 1, 2023 ("Legacy Listed Properties"). Properties listed since January 2023 must still be removed on the original timeline. Once removed, Council may not relist any property for a period of five years.

The Register contains approximately 3,700 Listed Properties. Within phase two of the City's response to Bills 23 and 200, staff are developing a proactive strategy to designate selected properties based on an applied priority criteria and will implement ways to monitor properties that are believed to hold cultural heritage value or interest following their removal from the Register. Also under consideration is the creation of a publicly accessible record of formerly listed properties to inform owners about the potential cultural heritage value of their properties, and to serve the public interest of the broader community.

To provide a greater level of protection for some Listed Properties, following research and evaluation a subset of properties meeting provincial criteria will be recommended for designation under Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. These designations will commence in the fourth quarter of of 2024 and will be subject to future reporting to Council.

City Planning confirms there are no financial implications resulting from the recommendations included in this report in the current budget year or in future years.

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

The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that:

1. City Council request the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism to extend the deadline for elimination of listed properties from the Heritage Register to January 1, 2030.

2. City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to maintain a publicly accessible inventory of all listed properties eliminated from the Heritage Register.

At its meeting on March 8 the Toronto Preservation Board considered Item PB16.15 and made recommendations to City Council.

Summary from the Staff Presentation from the Acting Project Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning:

The Acting Project Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning will give a presentation to the Toronto Preservation Board updating the Board on the City’s Implementation of Bill 23.

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

1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 28 Halton Street under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 28 Halton Street (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 1, to the report, October 11, 2024, from the Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 28 Halton Street under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value according to the Statement of Significance which includes a description of Heritage Attributes found in Attachment 1.

The subject property at 28 Halton Street is located on the north side of Halton Street at its junction with Givins Street, southeast of Ossington Avenue and Dundas Street in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood. A location map and current photograph of the heritage property is found in Attachment 2.

Constructed in c.1892, the property at 28 Halton Street contains a prominent, three-storey house-form building designed by Toronto architect Francis R. Heakes, Chief Architect of Ontario from 1896 to 1930. With its grand architectural massing and skillful combination of Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne stylist elements, the property was constructed for William Levack, an international cattle dealer and an instrumental investor in the Union Stockyard Company (later known as the Ontario Stockyards). Levack's house replaced the nearly 100-year-old 'Pine Grove', the homestead of Colonel James Givins (1759-1846). Since 1963, the property at 28 Halton Street has been adaptively reused as the Maynard Nursing Home, a privately-owned long-term care home, located in a residential neighbourhood in Trinity-Bellwood's 'Little Portugal'. As it is the terminal point of the vista looking north on Givins Street, the property is also an important neighborhood landmark.

Staff have determined that the property at 28 Halton Street has cultural heritage value and meets 5 of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets two or more of the nine criteria.

The property was listed on the City's Heritage Register on February 26, 1981.

On July 25, 2024, an application was made to the Committee of Adjustment to construct a rear four-storey addition to the north of the subject property, with three-storey wing additions to the east and west. The 1892 structure is proposed to be retained in situ.

City Planning confirms there are no financial implications resulting from the recommendations included in this report in the current budget year or in future years.

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

The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that:

1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 28 Halton Street under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 28 Halton Street (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 1, to the report, October 1, 2024, from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

2. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

At its meeting on October 17, 2024 the Toronto Preservation Board considered Item PB23.1 and made recommendations to City Council.

Summary from the report (October 1, 2024) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning:

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 28 Halton Street under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value according to the Statement of Significance which includes a description of Heritage Attributes found in Attachment 1.

The subject property at 28 Halton Street is located on the north side of Halton Street at its junction with Givins Street, southeast of Ossington Avenue and Dundas Street in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood. A location map and current photograph of the heritage property is found in Attachment 2.

Constructed in c.1892, the property at 28 Halton Street contains a prominent, three-storey house-form building designed by Toronto architect Francis R. Heakes, Chief Architect of Ontario from 1896 to 1930. With its grand architectural massing and skillful combination of Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne stylist elements, the property was constructed for William Levack, an international cattle dealer and an instrumental investor in the Union Stockyard Company (later known as the Ontario Stockyards). The baronial estate replaced the nearly 100-year-old 'Pine Grove', the homestead of Colonel James Givins (1759-1846). Since 1963, the property at 28 Halton Street has been adaptively reused as the Maynard Nursing Home, a privately-owned long-term care home, ensconced in a residential neighbourhood in Trinity-Bellwood's 'Little Portugal'. As it is the terminal point of the vista looking north on Givins Street, the property is also an important neighborhood landmark.

Staff have determined that the property at 28 Halton Street has cultural heritage value and meets 5 of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets two or more of the nine criteria.

The property was listed on the City's Heritage Register on February 26, 1981.

On July 25, 2024, an application was made to the Committee of Adjustment to construct a rear four-storey addition to the north of the subject property, with three-storey wing additions to the east and west. The 1892 structure is proposed to be retained in situ.

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

1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 630 Spadina Avenue under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 630 Spadina Avenue (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 1, to the report, October 3, 2024, from the Interim Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 630 Spadina Avenue under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value according to the Statement of Significance which includes a description of Heritage Attributes found in Attachment 1.

The property at 630 Spadina Avenue (Knox Presbyterian Church) is located on the west side of Spadina Avenue, approximately 30 metres south of Harbord Street, at the eastern boundary of the Harbord Village neighbourhood. The property contains a 1909 neo-Gothic style church with a 1907 Sunday school wing at the rear, a 1961 modernist-style church hall (Fellowship Centre), and 1961 modernist-style chapel. A location map and current photograph of the heritage property is found in Attachment 2.

The property has been an active place of worship since 1907 with each of the three structures having been designed and built for Knox Presbyterian Church. The church and Sunday school, designed by Toronto architect James Wilson Gray, features a neo-Gothic exterior and interior while the church contains stained glass windows crafted by the firms of N.T. Lyon Company and Robert McCausland. The chapel, built 52 years later with the Fellowship Centre, was designed by the significant architectural firm of John B. Parkin Associates, and features a unique design with atypical square plan, low slung brick clad walls and curved roof.

The property was listed on the City's Heritage Register on April 27, 2006.

A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets two or more of the nine criteria.

Staff have determined that the property at 630 Spadina Avenue has cultural heritage value and meets five of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

In accordance with 3.1.6.50 of the Official Plan and the City's Protocol for the Identification and Review of Heritage Places of Worship, Heritage Planning staff met with Knox Church to seek their opinion on the heritage attributes of the property which are the liturgical elements to be identified in the designating by-law. Knox Church considers all interior spaces of the church, Sunday school and chapel to be liturgical elements.

On May 18, 2018, an Official Plan Amendment application (18 161814 STE 20 OZ) was submitted to the City to redesignate the property from Neighbourhoods to Mixed-use to permit a 14-storey residential building. A Notice of Complete Application was issued on May 21, 2018. A zoning bylaw amendment application has yet to be submitted.

The Prescribed Event occurred on this property before January 1, 2023, therefore, Section 29(1.2) 2 of the Ontario Heritage Act does not apply to require Council to issue a notice of intention to designate within 90 days of a prescribed event.

City Planning confirms there are no financial implications resulting from the recommendations included in this report in the current budget year or in future years.

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

The Toronto Preservation Board recommends that:

1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 630 Spadina Avenue under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 630 Spadina Avenue (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 1, to the report, October 1, 2024, from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning.

2. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

At its meeting on October 17, 2024 the Toronto Preservation Board considered Item PB23.2 and made recommendations to City Council.

Summary from the report (October 1, 202) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning:

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 630 Spadina Avenue under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value according to the Statement of Significance which includes a description of Heritage Attributes found in Attachment 1.

The property at 630 Spadina Avenue (Knox Presbyterian Church) is located on the west side of Spadina Avenue, approximately 30 metres south of Harbord Street, at the eastern boundary of the Harbord Village neighbourhood. The property contains a 1909 neo-Gothic style church with a 1907 Sunday school wing at the rear, a 1961 modernist-style church hall (Fellowship Centre), and 1961 modernist-style chapel. A location map and current photograph of the heritage property is found in Attachment 2.

The property has been an active place of worship since 1907 with each of the three structures having been designed and built for Knox Presbyterian Church. The church and Sunday school, designed by Toronto architect James Wilson Gray, features a neo-Gothic exterior and interior while the church contains stained glass windows crafted by the firms of N.T. Lyon Company and Robert McCausland. The chapel, built 52 years later with the Fellowship Centre, was designed by the significant architectural firm of John B. Parkin Associates, and features a unique design with atypical square plan, low slung brick clad walls and curved roof.

The property was listed on the City's Heritage Register on April 27, 2006.

A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets two or more of the nine criteria.

Staff have determined that the property at 630 Spadina Avenue has cultural heritage value and meets five of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

In accordance with 3.1.6.50 of the Official Plan and the City's Protocol for the Identification and Review of Heritage Places of Worship, Heritage Planning Staff met with Knox Church to seek their opinion on the heritage attributes of the property which are the liturgical elements to be identified in the designating by-law. Knox Church considers all interior spaces of the church, Sunday school and chapel to be liturgical elements.

On May 18, 2018, an Official Plan Amendment application (18 161814 STE 20 OZ) was submitted to the City to redesignate Neighbourhoods to Mixed-use to permit a 14-storey residential building. A Notice of Complete Application was issued on May 21, 2018.

A zoning bylaw amendment application has yet to be submitted.

The Prescribed Event occurred on this property before January 1, 2023, therefore, Section 29(1.2) 2 of the Ontario Heritage Act does not apply to require Council to issue a notice of intention to designate within 90 days of a prescribed event.

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

1. City Council receive the report “City Comments on Proposed amendment to Ontario Regulation 299/19 Additional Residential Units, made under the Planning Act” dated October 21, 2024, and Attachment 1, letter to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for information.

On September 23, 2024, the Province introduced a proposed amendment to Ontario Regulation 299/19 Additional Residential Units (ARUs), made under the Planning Act on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) (https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-9210). The Province provided stakeholders 30 days to review and provide comments on the proposed regulation, with comments due by October 23, 2024. The Chief Planner has submitted a letter with staff comments on the proposed regulation to the Environmental Registry of Ontario by the commenting deadline. In May 2024, City Council adopted comments in response to the Minister’s Regulation Making Authority proposed in ERO 019-8369 (Bill 185, Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, 2024), to establish requirements and standards for Additional Residential Units. The City commented that regulations related to individual units rest with Municipalities, with the direction to make changes in contextually appropriate manners. This continues to be the City of Toronto’s comment, and as it relates to ERO 019-9210, proposed amendment to Ontario Regulation 299/19 Additional Residential Units, made under the Planning Act.

The proposed changes to Ontario Regulation 299/19 Additional Residential Units, recommends overriding five performance standards in municipal zoning by-laws with the intention of increasing the uptake Additional Residential Units. Additional Residential Units include secondary suites, laneway and garden suites, and multiplexes. The proposed changes include the removal of required angular planes, increased maximum lot coverage, removal of floor space index (FSI), removal of required minimum lot size, and reduction in minimum building separation distances between the main residential building and an ancillary building containing an Additional Residential Unit.

Since 2018, Council has adopted zoning regulations for Additional Residential Units to effectively introduce laneway and garden suites, secondary suites, and multi-plexes while balancing impacts on privacy, access to sunlight, stormwater run off, soft landscaping, tree canopy and biodiversity. This report provides a high-level summary and discussion of the proposed amendment to Ontario Regulation 299/19 changes and potential impacts on the City’s of Toronto’s implementation of Additional Residential Units.

In May 2024, City Council adopted comments in response to Minister’s Regulation Making Authority ERO 019-8369 (Bill 185, Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, 2024), which granted the Minister the authority to make regulations establishing requirements and standards for Additional Residential Units. The City commented that regulations related to individual units rest with Municipalities, with the direction to make changes in contextually appropriate manners.

Financial implications will be outlined in the forthcoming supplementary report. There are no financial impacts arising from the recommendations contained in this report.

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the financial impact information.

That:

1. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, as part of the Multiplex Monitoring Program, to clarify multiplex permissions in semi-detached residential buildings and report back with any potential zoning by-law amendments in second quarter 2025.

On May 10, 2023, City Council adopted Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to permit multiplexes city-wide. In recent years, Toronto City Council has made significant strides toward eliminating exclusionary zoning and promoting gentle density in Neighbourhoods across the city, including by legalizing multiplexes, garden suites, laneway suites, and permitting small-scale apartments on Major Streets.

A primary objective of the award-winning Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) program is to legalize diverse housing types as-of-right. The minor variance process often leads to delays and increased costs, hindering the construction of new housing units. It is essential to address gaps in the zoning by-law to ensure consistent interpretations, rather than relying on the discretion of individual planners or the Committee of Adjustment.

Stakeholders have raised concerns that the current interpretation of the Zoning By-law 569-2013 amendment to permit multiplexes is creating obstacles to building multiplex housing. Recently, applications for semi-detached fourplexes have been classified as one single apartment building instead of two multiplexes. This classification impacts building code requirements, financing options, and incentives – creating a barrier to building more missing middle housing.

One of the most powerful policy tools we have to enable more missing middle housing is development charge (DC) exemptions. Multiplexes with four or fewer units on a single property have development charges waived on the second, third, and fourth units. This waiver is vital: on a smaller missing middle project, the tens of thousands of dollars in development charges can make the difference between a project being financially feasible or cost prohibitive.

However, if an applicant intends to build a five-unit multiplex – the threshold at which they can access low-cost Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation financing – they have to pay development charges on all five units, making such projects less financially feasible.

A gap in the policy also exists where a builder or developer is building a four-plex in addition to a garden suite and/or a laneway suite. While Council has approved the development charge exemption for up to four units and a separate deferral program for development charges on laneway and garden suites, attempting to build both at once can trigger development charges on all units in the multiplex. This runs counter to the policy objective of maximizing the number of housing units in missing middle projects and must be addressed.

The Multiplex Study Final Report recommended establishing a monitoring program to track the uptake of new builds and to identify challenges in achieving multiplex housing. In line with that planned report, this motion requests that City Planning staff provide clarity on the correct interpretation of the zoning by-law. This motion is also requesting that the City Solicitor and Finance and Treasury Services consider revising the development charge bylaw to help enable more missing middle projects to move forward.