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The City of Toronto is advancing a wide-ranging package of planning reforms aimed at accelerating housing construction across neighbourhoods, corridors, and apartment sites. Six staff reports, to be reviewed at the next Planning and Housing Committee meeting on June 12, lay out a series of proposed zoning and policy changes. They include amendments to Zoning By-law 569-2013, intended to help meet the Province’s goal of 285,000 new homes in the city by 2031, through updates to Toronto’s unified post-amalgamation zoning framework.
Among the most significant changes are citywide permissions for five- and six-unit multiplexes, simplified zoning for housing on apartment tower sites, and a new strategy to expand mid-rise development on major streets identified as Avenues in the Official Plan. Mayor Olivia Chow noted that the City is “using the tools available to us to update planning rules and make it easier to build housing in more places citywide.”
Staff recommend zoning and Official Plan amendments permitting five- and six-unit multiplexes across all residential areas, building on the fourplex permissions adopted citywide in 2023, and recent sixplex permissions piloted in Ward 23. These new “detached houseplex” and “semi-detached houseplex” formats would allow conversions of existing homes or new construction. The proposed changes form part of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) program and align with the City’s obligations under the Housing Accelerator Fund.
The proposals are informed by the City’s multiplex monitoring program, which confirms a growing number of projects and recommends zoning refinements to support continued uptake. Infrastructure concerns are being tracked as part of the monitoring process, particularly in areas with combined sewers, where cumulative development could strain stormwater capacity. A related Neighbourhood Intensification Bulletin estimates that EHON initiatives could generate up to 54,600 new homes by 2031, and as many as 163,785 by 2051.
Mid-rise housing along Toronto’s major corridors is also in the spotlight as City staff begin the second phase of the Avenues Policy Review. The work builds on Official Plan Amendment 778, adopted earlier this year, which redefined the planning vision for Avenues and removed the requirement for segment-specific studies. The next stage aims to translate that vision into as-of-right zoning for six- to eleven-storey buildings along these key routes, with a citywide consultation and implementation plan now in development.
Existing apartment tower sites across Toronto could soon support additional housing through a proposed citywide zoning amendment. The Apartment Infill Study recommends allowing townhouses and converting underutilized interior spaces (such as storage rooms) into residential units on lands zoned Residential Apartment Commercial. The changes would apply to roughly 5,000 sites citywide. Future plans include examining large-scale infill opportunities, refining planning tools, and reviewing how development applications are processed on apartment lands.
To support consistency across Toronto’s planning framework, the City is moving to fold more low-rise residential properties into Zoning By-law 569-2013. The latest report focuses on North York, where 137 properties were previously governed by legacy zoning rules. These changes would bring the sites in line with recent permissions for multiplex housing.
In parallel, City staff have released new data on housing activity across Toronto. The 2024 Development Pipeline Report shows an unprecedented 854,898 units proposed across 2,335 projects, the highest level ever recorded. Between 2020 and 2024, Toronto accounted for half of all completed homes in the Greater Toronto Area, doubling its share compared to the 1990s. A separate report on advancing development on City-owned land is also in the works.
Toronto’s progress on housing reform is closely tied to its $471.1 million agreement with the federal government through the Housing Accelerator Fund, with two instalments totalling $235.6 million already received. “These changes will help accelerate the construction of new homes and support complete communities across Toronto,” said Chow.
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UrbanToronto has a research service, UTPro, that provides comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe — from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
