Toronto is a dynamic, growing city which continues to attract newcomers, with at least 700,000 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. In recent years, 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, while the supply of low-rise housing, such as multiplexes, has not kept up with demand. Toronto’s low-rise Neighbourhoods are changing, but much of this change has come through expanding and rebuilding single detached homes with some addition of secondary suites. Permissions for multiplex housing can allow Neighbourhoods to add more new low-rise housing at a scale similar to the existing context. In Toronto, 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 reducing emissions through neighbourhoods that allow people to walk, bike, or take transit — 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. With as-of right zoning permissions, this type of housing can be delivered relatively quickly as owners will only be required to obtain a building permit rather than official plan or zoning by-law approvals. Once enabled, it will remain the choice of the individual property owner whether to exercise these permissions. To remove barriers and enable the creation of the supply of low-rise housing, this report proposes an Official Plan Amendment to permit duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in residential areas across the city and a Zoning By-law Amendment to implement these permissions as-of-right in all residential zones across Toronto. This initiative is one component of Toronto's 2023 Housing Action Plan, which seeks to increase the supply of housing within complete, inclusive, and sustainable communities with critical infrastructure to support growth. It is in keeping with the draft Official Plan vision to eliminate disparities, prioritize climate action, and to become the world’s most inclusive city. Expanded multiplex permissions will enable new low-rise options for Torontonians in Neighbourhoods throughout the city, to suit the diverse needs and locational preferences of its growing population. New residents in our low-rise neighbourhoods can help stabilize declining populations, make better use of existing infrastructure, and support local retail establishments and services. While most multiplex units are anticipated to be delivered as market rental housing, they will provide ground-related alternatives to add to the range of Toronto’s low-rise, mid-rise and tower housing types.
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