Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods
The City of Toronto is exploring opportunities to introduce more low-rise housing in Toronto’s residential neighborhoods as part of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighborhoods Initiative (EHON).
In the Spring of 2023, Toronto’s City Council approved city-wide permissions for multiplexes with up to 4 dwelling units – also commonly referred to as a duplex, triplex or fourplex (City-wide Multiplex Study – Final Report ). As part of this decision, City Council directed staff to undertake an area-specific study (focusing on Ward 23 ) examining the opportunity to permit multiplexes with up to six dwelling units within the principal building of a property designated Neighbourhoods in the Official Plan. City Council also directed staff to review the potential of permitting a building depth of 19 metres for all multiplexes within Ward 23.
Scarborough has given generations of families, including mine, the opportunity to buy or rent an affordable home that met their families’ housing needs, regardless of size or income. Affordable homes and rentals in Scarborough have sadly become a thing of the past, in part due to Toronto’s outdated zoning laws.
In Spring 2023, as part of Toronto’s Housing Action Plan, Toronto City Council voted to allow up to 4 residential units on all parcels of land, including those formerly reserved for single family homes. I amended the legislation to introduce a pilot in Ward 23 to build up to 6 units on each property - sixplexes. After a year and a half of study, a public consultation and multiple discussions with key stakeholders, the pilot is ready to be presented at City Council on February 5th, 2025.
Here’s why this pilot is needed in our community:
Building Affordable Homes for our Residents
Almost all affordable housing in Canada requires financing from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). CMHC provides financing to housing projects which are 5 units or more. In order to create affordable home ownership or rental opportunities in our neighbourhoods, we need to ensure not-for-profit builders have access to CMHC financing to make affordable housing projects financially viable.
Allowing Seniors to Age in Place
Building affordable multiplexes offers seniors the ability to maintain their independence in familiar surroundings. By creating opportunities to sell their homes and remain in their neighbourhoods, seniors could see considerable gain from the equity they’ve built in their homes while making it possible for their kids or grandkids to purchase homes within the same affordable multiplex. This would support their overall well-being and mental health, and could result in significant cost savings compared to moving to assisted living or nursing homes.
Preventing Overcrowding and Unregulated Growth
Scarborough has the second highest number of people living under one roof in Canada. This overcrowding was a significant contributor to the spread of COVID in our community. Lack of affordable housing has also led to a significant number of unregulated rooming houses where landlords often fail to uphold property standards. To address and prevent overcrowding, we need to introduce forms of housing that allow more people to live under one roof safely and uphold the property standards of our neighbourhoods.
Supporting Young Families and Individuals
The reduced costs of smaller homes within gentle density developments like multiplexes can make home ownership more attainable for younger generations, providing them a pathway to wealth accumulation and financial stability. By increasing housing supply in established areas, we allow young people to live closer to their families, job opportunities, schools, and public transit, which makes their daily lives more affordable, convenient and reduces the need for long commutes.
Preserving the Look and Feel of our Neighbourhoods
The built form and performance standards of multiplexes (whether they are 4 or 6 units) are the same as existing detached homes in Scarborough North, while allowing a few more families into our neighbourhoods. Gently densifying our neighbourhoods with multiplexes rather than extremely high-density towers popping up on every corner, particularly near the Sheppard and McCowan subway station, the future Sheppard Subway Extension and the proposed Eglinton East Light Rapid Transit line, is key to preserving the look and feel of our neighbourhoods.
Keeping Families Together
14% of Scarborough families are already living in multigenerational homes (households with multiple generations of a family living under one roof). Multiplex housing helps families stay together without living under the same roof and can help deliver enhanced family support such as shared caregiving responsibilities for both children and elderly family members.
Reversing our Population Decline
Scarborough North’s population is declining. Too many of our kids are priced out of the neighbourhoods where they grew up. This decline led Elections Canada to consider eliminating Scarborough North as an electoral district, reducing the quality of our representation at the federal level. The decline also affects our share of funding from the city’s budget as many investments are made on the basis of projected population growth. To reverse our population decline we need to create affordable homes that attract individuals and families to our community.
The Housing Accelerator Fund
The Ward 23 multiplex pilot was key to Toronto successfully securing $471 million from the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund. The money will be used to build 11,780 affordable homes across Toronto and ensured a significant amount of the costs to build affordable housing were kept off of your property tax bill.
Answering your comments and concerns
I’ve listened to your feedback and thoughtful concerns about multiplexes and here are answers to some of the key questions that have been raised:
Multiplexes are Optional
No one will be compelled to build a multiplex, and no homeowner will have their property expropriated as a result of the new multiplex zoning by-law.
Impact of Construction
Since multiplexes were permitted in Toronto, only 3 permits for multiplexes in Ward 23 have been submitted and approved - 2 for a duplex and 1 for a triplex. It is unlikely that the pilot will lead to a noticeable increase in construction in our neighbourhoods.
Parking
Parking can be included in multiplex development applications. To address parking considerations as we move towards gentle densification, city staff will bring forward recommendations this year to create a city-wide parking strategy, including a comprehensive review of residential parking.
Built Form
Whatever is already permitted to build in neighbourhoods today is not changing. No change to existing building depth or height is proposed, only the addition of two additional units. Multiplexes will not be bulkier, higher, block sunlight or take away landscaping space compared to what is already permitted to build in our neighbourhoods.
Impact on Infrastructure
One of the benefits of gentle densification through sixplexes and their gradual development over a long time is that it makes better and more efficient use of our neighbourhoods’ existing and planned infrastructure, especially when compared to the impact of high-density tower complexes.
Change Over Time
Market demands and financial viability of 4-6 unit multiplexes realistically means we will see them develop in a few neighbourhoods over a long period of time. Not every house will become a multiplex overnight, and we are likely to see applications in places closer to transit or near major streets.
What About the Rest of Toronto
The promising results from the Ward 23 pilot led to City Council voting in December 2024 to study permitting up to 6 units on all properties in Toronto.