Decisions

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Received the report (May 29, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, for information.

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, the Director, Strategic Initiatives Policy and Analysis, and the Director, Zoning and Secretary-Treasurer, Committee of Adjustment gave a presentation to the Planning and Housing Committee on Actions to Unlock More Homes Across Toronto.

City Planning monitors development activity in Toronto. This report and the attached bulletin summarize development activity over the past five years, offering insights into the city's growth and potential urban changes ahead.

The 2024 Development Pipeline is the largest recorded to-date. As of the end of 2024, the Development Pipeline contains 854,898 proposed residential units and 13,859,724 square metres of proposed non-residential gross floor area (GFA). Of the total residential units, 86% are not yet built and are either under review, in development approvals processes, or under construction. If all these residential units were completed, they could accommodate an additional 1.04 million people over Toronto's 2024 population. To put that scale of growth into perspective, the City of Toronto is forecasted to grow by roughly 380,000 people to a total population of 3.65 million by the year 2051 as per the target in the Official Plan.

Between 2020 and 2024, City Council granted Official Plan Amendment or Rezoning approval to 46,940 units per year on average. Over the same period, 24,342 units per year were issued Site Plan Control approval and 17,888 units per year were built. Toronto's share of housing completions in the Greater Toronto Area has grown consistently and the city now delivers half of the region's new housing supply, more than double the proportion of completions in the Greater Toronto Area 25-30 years ago.

The Development Pipeline demonstrates the diversity and geographic distribution of non-residential development in Toronto, providing opportunities to accommodate future employment across the city. Employment Areas remain economically resilient and are attracting new investment, with 1,849,692 square metres of industrial land uses proposed within them, despite economic and policy pressures.

The Development Pipeline also illustrates the continuing changes to Toronto's urban structure. The magnitude of proposed development emphasizes the importance of comprehensive long-range planning to manage growth, infrastructure and service delivery in support of resilient, inclusive and complete communities.

While the Development Pipeline represents significant potential for future residential and non-residential development in the city and reflects significant activity and progress with respect to development approvals, it is important to note that recent economic conditions create a number of potential barriers for converting the Pipeline’s development potential into actual new residential units and non-residential spaces. These factors are outside of the scope of this report but will be important areas of focus for the City Planning Division, in partnership with other Divisions, in the months ahead.

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Received the report (May 26, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, for information.

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, the Director, Strategic Initiatives Policy and Analysis, and the Director, Zoning and Secretary-Treasurer, Committee of Adjustment gave a presentation to the Planning and Housing Committee on Actions to Unlock More Homes Across Toronto.

The Neighbourhood Intensification Research Bulletin (Attachment 1) examines the theoretical potential for new housing units in Toronto’s Neighbourhoods land use designation, as part of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) initiative.

The Bulletin aligns with the Official Plan time horizon by reporting on the estimated uptake to 2051 for Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiatives recently adopted by Council: Laneway Suites, Garden Suites, Multiplexes, and Major Streets projects. The estimates quantify how Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiatives can contribute to Toronto's housing goals, including the Housing Action Plan and the Municipal Housing Target. Through spatial analysis and the creation of a Neighbourhood Typology model, the research includes detailed analysis of Building Permits and the Development Pipeline to understand where new housing is being added in Neighbourhoods and where housing is likely to increase.

These estimates represent an assessment of the first phase of Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiatives up to the end of 2024. The modelling and analyses included in the Bulletin were conducted using data available up to this time.

It is important to note that the Bulletin represents a theoretical uptake of housing units resulting from the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiative. A multitude of factors can influence actual uptake, which will be reported on through City Planning's regular Development Pipeline and Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods monitoring reports, including Multiplexes and Garden Suites.

The Bulletin estimates the uptake of citywide residential units resulting from the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiatives by 2051 at 163,785 units. The estimated uptake is 9,180 Laneway Suite units, 26,388 Garden Suite units, 87,134 Multiplex units and 41,083 units in Major Streets projects. If realized, this would represent an average of 1.37% of Neighbourhood parcels experiencing intensification annually and an overall 13% increase in total dwelling units from the 1.25 million dwelling units in Toronto reported in the 2021 Census to just over 1.4 million units by 2051. 

The Bulletin's findings highlight that as a component of Toronto’s Housing Action Plan and Housing Accelerator Fund commitments, Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiatives could contribute approximately 54,600 units or almost one-fifth (19%) of the new housing required to achieve the Building Faster Fund and Municipal Housing Target of 285,000 units by 2031.

The Planning and Housing Committee 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 the report (May 29, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

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 the report (May 29, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

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.

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, the Director, Strategic Initiatives Policy and Analysis, and the Director, Zoning and Secretary-Treasurer, Committee of Adjustment gave a presentation to the Planning and Housing Committee on Actions to Unlock More Homes Across Toronto.

The Planning and Housing Committee held a statutory public meeting on June 12, 2025 and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

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

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council amend the Official Plan substantially in accordance with the proposed Official Plan Amendment 818 appended as Attachment 1 to the report (May 28, 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 2 to the report (May 28, 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 General Manager, Parks and Recreation, in collaboration with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building, to review existing parkland dedication requirements for low-rise residential projects, and report back by the second quarter of 2026 on recommendations related to the feasibility of exemptions for fiveplexes and sixplexes in support of Council adopted housing and parkland priorities.

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, the Director, Strategic Initiatives Policy and Analysis, and the Director, Zoning and Secretary-Treasurer, Committee of Adjustment gave a presentation to the Planning and Housing Committee on Actions to Unlock More Homes Across Toronto.

The Planning and Housing Committee held a statutory public meeting on June 12, 2025 and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

Toronto is a dynamic, growing city which continues to attract newcomers, with at least 830,000 new Torontonians expected by 2051. Both current and future residents will need homes, and to accommodate the diversity of household sizes and compositions across the city, Toronto needs a diverse range of housing options. The city’s housing growth has largely been in mid- and high-rise apartment buildings concentrated in densely populated areas like the Downtown, Centres, and Avenues. However, numerous initiatives to bring gentle density into residential neighbourhoods to meet the needs of a growing city have been successfully introduced through the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) program, with permissions for laneway suites, garden suites, and multiplexes approved since 2021, among others. In recognition of the urgent action needed to address Toronto’s housing needs, the City of Toronto has also partnered with other orders of government to pursue all possible approaches toward increasing housing supply and to supporting growth.

The Sixplex Study evaluated the potential of permitting low-rise multiplexes with up to six dwelling units and with heights of up to four storeys in detached residential buildings on properties designated Neighbourhoods in the Official Plan city-wide. This report summarizes the work undertaken, identifies implementation challenges, and recommends that City Council approve Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments to permit multiplexes with five and six dwelling units in detached residential buildings (also referred to as “fiveplexes” and “sixplexes”, or as “detached houseplexes” with five and six dwelling units, respectively) in low-rise residential neighbourhoods city-wide.

The proposed amendments build on existing low-rise multiplex permissions for up to four units city-wide, introduced through the original Multiplex Study in 2023, and for up to six units in detached residential buildings in Ward 23, introduced through the Ward 23 Multiplex Study in February 2025. The amendments include zoning permissions enabling a 0.5 metre increase to building height to a maximum of 10.5 metres where current maximum height is 10 metres. The intent of this amendment is to facilitate increased basement ceiling heights to improve liveability and access to daylight for basement dwelling units that are expected to accompany fiveplex and sixplex development, and to maximize the potential for up to four levels of housing within a 3.5-storey building.

Expanding multiplex permissions will increase new low-rise housing options for Torontonians. New residents in low-rise neighbourhoods can help stabilize declining populations, optimize the use of existing infrastructure, and support local retail establishments and services. 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).

Adoption of the recommendations in this report will mark a significant milestone towards meeting the City’s commitments under the federal Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) to permit more low-rise, multi-unit housing development through as-of-right zoning by-laws in Neighbourhoods. The recommended amendments are consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement 2024 and with the general intent of the Official Plan, including recently adopted new Chapter 1 to the Official Plan vision, which aims to eliminate disparities, prioritize climate action, and make Toronto the world’s most inclusive city.

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council amend Zoning By-law 569-2013, as amended, substantially in accordance with the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment appended as Attachment 3 to the report (May 27, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2. 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.

The Planning and Housing Committee held a statutory public meeting on June 12, 2025 and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

The Apartment Infill Study seeks to optimize land use and enable more housing options in the city's apartment neighbourhoods, including purpose-built rental housing, by developing new tools and best practices to simplify and streamline the approval process for apartment infill proposals. Existing apartment sites offer an opportunity for contextually appropriate infill and reurbanization to address the city’s current housing needs and the creation of complete communities through redevelopment.

The Apartment Infill Study is one of 54 actions in Toronto's 2023 Housing Action Plan (“HAP”), which seeks to increase housing supply within complete, inclusive, and sustainable communities with critical infrastructure to support growth. The new homes enabled by the Housing Action Plan will contribute to the provincial housing target of 285,000 new homes in Toronto by 2031. In recognition of the urgent action needed to address Toronto’s housing needs, the City of Toronto has partnered with other orders of government to pursue all possible approaches toward increasing housing supply and to supporting growth. The study is also one of eight initiatives under the federal Housing Accelerator Fund (“HAF”), through which the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (“CMHC”) has committed $471.1 million in funding to support the City’s efforts to eliminate barriers to building new housing, make a generational transformation of Toronto’s housing system and increase housing affordability for residents. This report and zoning by-law represent deliverables to fulfill the City’s commitment to Initiative 8 under the Housing Accelerator Fund, to optimize land use in the city’s apartment neighbourhoods through establishing best practices and developing new tools to simplify and streamline the approval process for infill housing on existing apartment sites.

The study recommends zoning amendments to enable additional housing on existing apartment sites by permitting townhouses on sites zoned Residential Apartment Commercial in city-wide Zoning By-law 569-2013, and by permitting the conversion of certain underutilized common spaces into residential dwelling units. It also recommends new permissions to enable overcladding associated with deep energy retrofits of existing apartment buildings, which will contribute to Toronto’s housing supply through the preservation of existing and aging housing stock.

It is important to note that renewal of apartment tower neighbourhoods, and continuing to explore opportunities for infill on apartment neighbourhood sites, remains an ongoing priority of City Planning. Future work is planned, including reviewing and analyzing apartment infill development trends, lot studies, and existing development review processes, to develop planning tools that will facilitate larger-scale apartment infill opportunities city-wide and/or on site-specific or geographic-specific basis.

The recommended amendments have been developed in consultation with relevant City divisions and industry experts, and considers industry best practices, recent development trends, and the City’s Net Zero Existing Building Strategy. They are consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement 2024 and conform with the Official Plan, including policies for Apartment Neighbourhoods, Housing and 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 Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council amend Zoning By-law 569-2013, substantially in accordance with the draft Zoning By-law Amendment attached as Attachment 2 to the report (May 26, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

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.

The Planning and Housing Committee held a statutory public meeting on June 12, 2025 and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

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 North 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 second phase of the study's work plan for the North York district, by reviewing approximately 323 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 137 low-rise residential properties into the city-wide Zoning By-law.

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Adjourned the special statutory public meeting for Item titled “Our Plan Toronto: Recommendations on the East Harbour Employment Area Conversion Request - Final Report” until such time as the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning reports back on further discussions with Cadillac Fairview and the Province on additional proposed changes to land use permissions at East Harbour, and by no later than the December 3, 2025 meeting of the Planning and Housing Committee, and that no further notice of special public meeting be given.

The Planning and Housing Committee commenced a Statutory Special Public Meeting on September 28, 2023, that continued on October 26, 2023, June 13, 2024, December 5, 2024 and June 12, 2025 and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

City Council on October 11 and 12, 2023, referred Item PH6.3 back to the Planning and Housing Committee. 

Summary from the report (September 14,2023) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning on Our Plan Toronto: Recommendations on the East Harbour Employment Area Conversion Request - Final Report:

This report is the fourth in a series of Final Reports that provide staff recommendations on Employment Area conversion requests as part of the Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) of the Official Plan.

Council authorized the commencement of the Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) and Growth Plan conformity exercise known as "Our Plan Toronto" on August 4, 2020. As part of the MCR, City Planning received approximately 150 requests to convert lands designated Core Employment Areas or General Employment Areas in the Official Plan for non-employment uses, including some of which were City-initiated.

The MCR and any recommended Official Plan amendments are considered under Section 26 of the Planning Act, where the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is the approval authority. The Minister’s decisions are not subject to appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal unless the Minister refers all or part of the amendments to the Tribunal.

This report is to be considered at a Special Public Meeting under Section 26 of the Planning Act regarding the City's phased Official Plan and Municipal Comprehensive Reviews.

This fourth report provides an overview of staff’s review and recommendations on the Employment Area conversion request made for the East Harbour lands (21 Don Valley Parkway, 30 Booth Avenue, and 375-385 Eastern Avenue). The report also describes the recommended Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 683 and the city-building objectives, such as affordable housing, that are included to support the introduction of residential use permissions.

In April 2021, the Province announced a Transit Oriented Communities (“TOC”) commercial partnership with Cadillac Fairview for the East Harbour lands that proposes a mixed-use community on the lands, which includes the 926,000 square metres of employment development previously approved in the Unilever Precinct Secondary Plan and relevant Zoning By-laws, but would also introduce residential uses not previously contemplated for the lands.

The residential uses envisioned for the TOC are not permitted on the lands which are designated Core and General Employment Areas in the Official Plan. In August 2021, Cadillac Fairview submitted an employment area conversion request for the lands to be considered as part of the City’s MCR.

On April 8, 2022, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing made a Minister’s Zoning Order per Ontario Regulation 329/22 (‘MZO’) for the East Harbour lands. The MZO permits residential uses on specific portions of the East Harbour lands up to a maximum of 302,000 square metres, in addition to the existing employment development permissions.

The MZO allows for residential uses in the zoning permissions on lands designated Core Employment Areas and General Employment Areas. While the Growth Plan 2020 prohibits, and the City’s official plan policies do not permit, residential uses on lands designated Employment Areas, the Province’s MZO does not need to conform to these policies. The zoning permissions granted through the MZO for the East Harbour lands enable development contemplated in the Province’s TOC arrangement between the Province and Cadillac Fairview.

Staff’s recommendations on the East Harbour conversion request are to implement the MZO made for the lands by the Minister and the recommended Official Plan amendment detailed in this report aligns with the permissions granted by Province through the MZO.

The Planning and Housing Committee commenced a Statutory Special Public Meeting on September 28, 2023, that continued on October 26, 2023, and on June 13, 2024, and notice was given in accordance with the Planning Act.

At its meeting on June 13, 2024, Planning and Housing Committee adjourned the Statutory Special Public meeting and directed City Planning staff to report back by December 5, 2024, to allow the conversion request to be considered at the same time as the results of the Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) negotiations with Cadillac Fairview and the Province on further proposed changes to land use permissions at East Harbour. On December 5, 2024, Planning and Housing Committee further adjourned the Statutory Special Public meeting and directed City Planning staff to report back by June 12, 2025, as the negotiations with Cadillac Fairview and the Province had just commenced. Given progress to date, City staff expect to report back in Q4 2025 on the outcome of negotiations including proposed changes to land use permissions at East Harbour.

It would be premature to consider the Employment Area Conversion Request prior to Transit Oriented Communities negotiations concluding. Staff recommend that Planning and Housing Committee adjourn the Statutory Special Public Meeting until such time as staff are able to report on Transit Oriented Communities negotiations.

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council adopt the proposed Phase Two Work Plan and Stakeholder and Public Consultation Framework for Phase Two of the Avenues Policy Review.

Avenues have become significant areas of growth since the Official Plan was first adopted by Council in 2002. As part of the Housing Action Plan (HAP) 2022-2026, Council directed City Planning to bring forward policy updates and as-of-right zoning in support of more housing across Toronto. The Avenues Policy Review supports this goal by leveraging Avenues as a growth area to expand opportunities for more housing across the city by facilitating mid-rise buildings along Avenues.

The Avenues Policy Review is divided into two phases of work. The first phase updated the Official Plan’s vision and policies for Avenues, extended and introduced new Avenues, and streamlined study requirements by removing the requirement for Avenue Segment Reviews and Avenue Studies. This first phase was completed in February 2025 with Council’s adoption of Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 778.

This report marks the beginning of the second phase of work by proposing a strategy, work plan and consultation framework to implement the Avenues vision and policies introduced through Official Plan Amendment 778, with the goal of expanding as-of-right zoning for mid-rise buildings on Avenues. This work will occur over several stages to ensure that sufficient time and resources are available to complete a comprehensive review and community consultation process across Toronto.

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council adopt the instruction to staff in Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (June 9, 2025) from the Deputy City Manager, Development and Growth Services and the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, for the site at 267-275 Merton Street.

2.  City Council adopt the instruction to staff in Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (June 9, 2025) from the Deputy City Manager, Development and Growth Services and the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, for the site at 610 Bay Street and 130 Elizabeth Street.

3. City Council request the Government of Canada and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to expedite review and approval of construction funding and financing applications for the sites at 267-275 Merton Street and 610 Bay Street and 130 Elizabeth Street, to facilitate the realization of purpose-built rental and affordable rental homes.

4.  City Council direct that Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (June 9, 2025) from the Deputy City Manager, Development and Growth Services and the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, remain confidential in its entirety as it: outlines a position, plan, procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiations carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the City; and contains financial information, supplied in confidence to the City of Toronto and CreateTO, which, if disclosed, could reasonably be expected to prejudice significantly the competitive position or interfere significantly with the contractual or other negotiations of a person, group of persons, or organization.

The projects at 267-275 Merton St., and 610 Bay St. and 130 Elizabeth St. are signature housing projects that leverage City-owned lands and will deliver over 1,350 new rental homes including at least 369 affordable rental homes.

Market conditions have changed since Council approval of deal terms for these two sites in 2024, most notably a reduction in market rental rates, and an increase in project costs, impacting the financial viability of the projects.

In order to maintain the viability of these projects in the face of shifting market conditions, this report makes a number of recommendations to City Council to help 'unstick' these housing projects, to start construction on a significant amount of new purpose-built and affordable rental homes in 2025.

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Received the report (May 30, 2025) from the Deputy City Manager, Development and Growth Services, for information.

The Deputy City Manager, Development and Growth Services will be submitting a report to Planning and Housing Committee before its meeting on June 12, 2025, that provides an update on the City's actions to advance development of housing on City-owned land. A supplementary report will be provided in time for the Planning and Housing Committee meeting on June 12, 2025.  

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council approve the grant awards for the 2025 Toronto Heritage Grant Program for the following twenty-two heritage properties to assist grant recipients in funding the scope of conservation works generally described in Attachment 1 of the report (May 26, 2025) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

7 Alpha Avenue

9 Alpha Avenue

10 Alpha Avenue

11 Alpha Avenue

13 Alpha Avenue

16 Alpha Avenue

17 Alpha Avenue

18 Alpha Avenue

72 Amelia Street

74 Amelia Street

76 Amelia Street

35 Bishop Street

395 Carlton Street

417 Dundas Street East

11 Laurier Avenue

22 Lytton Boulevard

726 Meadowvale Road

332 Seaton Street

306 Wellesley Street East

385 Brunswick Avenue

2867 Kennedy Road

51 Tiverton Avenue

2. City Council direct that the use of the grant awards outlined in Recommendation 1 be limited to only the conservation work approved by the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and that the issuing of the grant awards be subject to the grant recipient satisfying all conditions as set out in the Letter of Understanding between the City and the grant recipient.

This report recommends the approval of twenty-two grants totalling $317,000.00 under the Toronto Heritage Grant Program. The recommended recipients will generate approximately $660,225.61 in private investment for work to conserve irreplaceable cultural heritage resources that contribute to the City's social and economic prosperity by maintaining Toronto's unique sense of place.

The Toronto Heritage Grant Program provides matching grant funds for eligible restoration-based conservation work for heritage properties within the City of Toronto that are designated under Part IV or V of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA). Applicants may receive a grant once every five years for up to 50% of the cost of eligible conservation work. Owners of house form buildings may receive up to $10,000.00 or, if replacing an entire cedar or slate roof assembly, up to $20,000.00 every ten years.

Owners of non-house form buildings and any tax-exempt or not-for-profit properties (including house form buildings) may be eligible for a grant equivalent to 50% of the cost of eligible work, with no maximum limit.   

The Toronto Heritage Grant Program has a budget of $317,000.00 in the City Planning 2025 Operating Budget and is administered by Heritage Planning, City Planning.

The properties that have been recommended for a grant award vary in size and location across Toronto. Several grant projects are at residential properties located in Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs), including properties located within the Cabbagetown North, Cabbagetown Southwest, and Riverdale Heritage Conservation Districts. In addition, there are a few notable Part IV-designated properties benefitting from heritage grants this year, including two community submissions of eight contiguous properties along Alpha Avenue and three properties on Amelia Street.

At its meeting on May 27, 2025 the Toronto Preservation Board considered Item PB32.6 and made recommendations to City Council.

Summary from the report (May 14, 2025) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning:

 
This report recommends the approval of twenty-two grants totalling $317,000.00 under the Toronto Heritage Grant Program. The recommended recipients will generate approximately $660,225.61 in private investment for work to conserve irreplaceable cultural heritage resources that contribute to the City's social and economic prosperity by maintaining Toronto's unique sense of place.

The Toronto Heritage Grant Program provides matching grant funds for eligible restoration-based conservation work for heritage properties within the City of Toronto that are designated under Part IV or V of the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA). Applicants may receive a grant once every five years for up to 50% of the cost of eligible conservation work. Owners of house form buildings may receive up to $10,000.00 or, if replacing an entire cedar or slate roof assembly, up to $20,000.00 every ten years.

Owners of non-house form buildings and any tax-exempt or not-for-profit properties (including house form buildings) may be eligible for a grant equivalent to 50% of the cost of eligible work, with no maximum limit.   

The Toronto Heritage Grant Program has a budget of $317,000.00 in the City Planning 2025 Operating Budget and is administered by Heritage Planning, City Planning.

The properties that have been recommended for a grant award vary in size and location across Toronto. Several grant projects are at residential properties located in Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs), including properties located within the Cabbagetown North, Cabbagetown Southwest, and Riverdale Heritage Conservation Districts. In addition, there are a few notable Part IV-designated properties benefitting from heritage grants this year, including two community submissions of eight contiguous properties along Alpha Avenue and three properties on Amelia Street.

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. In consideration of the objection made under subsection 27(7) of the Ontario Heritage Act, City Council continue to include the property at 1751 Bayview Avenue on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register.

This report responds to a notice of objection received by the City of Toronto under Section 27 (7) of the Ontario Heritage Act (the "OHA") from the property owner of 1751 Bayview Avenue objecting to the inclusion of the subject property on the City's Heritage Register.

Located on the east side of Bayview Avenue between Eglinton Avenue East and Parkhurst Boulevard, in the Leaside-Bennington neighbourhood, the property at 1751 Bayview Avenue contains a two-storey, brick-clad, residential apartment building constructed in the mid-1930s.

On December 18, 2024, City Council adopted the staff report NY19.12 that included the grouping of similar properties at 1747, 1751, 1759, 1763, 1767, 1771, 1773, and 1775 Bayview Avenue on the City's Heritage Register.

The Ontario Heritage Act establishes a process whereby owners can object to a property's listing on the Heritage Register and, should they do so, a subsequent decision on the listing must be made by the municipality. Owners can object to listings at any time.

Chapter 103 of the Toronto Municipal Code establishes the process for Council consideration of objections to properties included on the Heritage Register. City Council must be made aware of such objections on a routine basis so that they may consider the matter and render a final decision. Once Council has decided on the objection, the Ontario Heritage Act requires that the owner of the property must be notified of Council's decision within 90 days. Council's decision on objections to listing is final and is not subject to appeal.

In the first quarter of 2025, the City received one notice from property owners objecting to the inclusion of one property on the Heritage Register, that being 1751 Bayview Avenue.

Following a review of the objection to listing submitted for this property, staff are of the opinion that the property at 1751 Bayview Avenue holds cultural heritage value. Staff recommend that Council continue to include this property on the Heritage Register.

At its meeting on May 27, 2025 the Toronto Preservation Board considered Item PB32.3 and made recommendations to City Council.

Summary from the report (May 12, 2025) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning:

 
This report responds to a notice of objection received by the City of Toronto under Section 27 (7) of the Ontario Heritage Act (the "OHA") from the property owner of 1751 Bayview Avenue objecting to the inclusion of the subject property on the City's Heritage Register.

Located on the east side of Bayview Avenue between Eglinton Avenue East and Parkhurst Boulevard, in the Leaside-Bennington neighbourhood, the property at 1751 Bayview Avenue contains a two-storey, brick-clad, residential apartment building constructed in the mid-1930s.

On December 18, 2024, City Council adopted the staff report NY19.12 that included the grouping of similar properties at 1747, 1751, 1759, 1763, 1767, 1771, 1773, and 1775 Bayview Avenue on the City's Heritage Register.

The Ontario Heritage Act establishes a process whereby owners can object to a property's listing on the Heritage Register and, should they do so, a subsequent decision on the listing must be made by the municipality. Owners can object to listings at any time.

Chapter 103 of the Toronto Municipal Code establishes the process for Council consideration of objections to properties included on the Heritage Register. City Council must be made aware of such objections on a routine basis so that they may consider the matter and render a final decision. Once Council has decided on the objection, the Ontario Heritage Act requires that the owner of the property must be notified of Council's decision within 90 days. Council's decision on objections to listing is final and is not subject to appeal.

In the first quarter of 2025, the City received one notice from property owners objecting to the inclusion of one property on the Heritage Register, that being 1751 Bayview Avenue.

Following a review of the objection to listing submitted for this property, staff are of the opinion that the property at 1751 Bayview Avenue holds cultural heritage value. Staff recommend that Council continue to include this property on the Heritage Register.