Last month I wrote that the signals from Queen’s Park and City Hall suggest that “encroachment (of tall buildings) into existing neighbourhoods will not only proceed but will also expand.”
Encroachment into neighbourhoods is not a new issue, and other forms of residential intensification termed “gentle” are underway in neighbourhoods under the mantra of City Planning’s Expanding Housing Opportunities in Neighbourhoods (EHON) initiative.
EHON in Leaside
Four-unit multiplexes in neighbourhoods were approved City-wide (but not six-unit multiplexes in Ward 15 and other wards in North York), and we see the first single unit multiplex (four units high) under construction at Eglinton and Rumsey. This development continues to push the limits of neighbourhood acceptability, with a further application for “minor variances,” this time to construct a garden suite in the rear yard, heard by the Committee of Adjustment on Oct. 23rd. While the Committee of Adjustment hearing dealt with the seven variances applied for (including the “soft landscaping” being less than half the zoning requirement), it was silent with respect to the context and history of the application.
The availability of space to enable a garden suite at the rear of the property is a direct result of the culling of the honey locust tree at the rear of the property on June 26th. After moving the building forward (to protect the tree), voilà! there is space for a garden suite. But now if a garden suite goes forward there will be no growing space for a tree, parking space for a vehicle, or even room for garbage bins for the occupants of the five units on the site. Maybe the combination of multiplex and garden suite in neighbourhoods needs to be reconsidered?
The Neighbourhood Retail and Services Study
This is another EHON initiative, which has been cruising around City Hall for a couple of years – brought forward, sent back for more work, and now it’s going to Planning and Housing Committee again on October 30, 2025. The City is proposing three Zoning Bylaw Amendments to Zoning Bylaw 569-2013: to permit certain small-scale retail, service and office uses on residentially-zoned properties within neighbourhoods on major streets; to permit small-scale retail stores and ancillary eating establishments on select sites within neighbourhood interiors; and to update home occupation permissions.
However, there is growing dissatisfaction with the City’s consultation efforts, which generally consist of virtual presentation sessions and a survey, both of which read like performative exercises lacking a real commitment to making changes based on the comments received. The difference this time around is the involvement of the Coalition of Toronto Residents’ Associations (COTRA), a newly formed resident-led grassroots movement, which created a City-wide survey to learn the views of residents on the Neighbourhood Retail and Services Study (NRS).
Survey results
In just two weeks (Sept. 2-15) more than 3,400 residents from across Toronto responded to the survey. Top-line survey results show that:
- -90% of residents oppose allowing businesses in residential neighbourhoods, with somewhat -less opposition at 77% to allowing business on major streets that are residential.
- -96% of the comments expressed opposition to some aspect of the proposal.
- -90% want applications to rezone residential properties to commercial to go through the current Committee of Adjustment process.
- -57% are open to community consultation to identify sections of major streets to rezone from residential to commercial where there is a neighbourhood need.
- -Key concerns with the proposal include loss of affordable residential housing, parking, noise, traffic, lack of guardrails (e.g. no alcohol, cannabis) and low City enforcement of bylaws. In short, the overwhelming message is that residents do not support the proposal as it stands.
The top issue
A major concern is that the proposal is treating the matter as simply a residential zoning issue instead of considering it as part of a much-needed retail strategy. Retail uses face many challenges, including the growth of deliveries and the loss of strip malls to residential redevelopment. Does it make sense to encourage the spread of retail beyond the retail cores, which are themselves in need of supportive policies?
On Oct. 3rd, the COTRA leadership team presented the data to the City’s NRS planning staff and asked that this feedback be included in the staff report, and, more importantly, that these findings influence changes to the proposal. At present, it appears City Planning is ready to proceed based on its own information. The staff report was set to be released on Oct. 23 in advance of the Planning and Housing Committee meeting on Oct. 30th.
Watch for further communication on this from the Leaside Residents Association.
