Councillor Kandavel has “deep concerns” with the plan.
A bungalow on any street can be replaced by an apartment building with as many as 18 bedrooms in it.
The City of Toronto is pushing through new rules to allow sixplexes to be constructed “as of right” throughout Toronto neighbourhoods. The planning and housing committee approved the new measures on Thursday June 12 and now City Council it set to vote on them at the end of the month.
The phrase “as of right” means that any detached house can be torn down and replaced with a six unit apartment building without any approval required from the City or local councillor and that community members will have no opportunity to offer feedback or concerns.
While a City staff report urges councillors to approve the plans, some councillors as well as members of the public who spoke at the committee have accused the City of rushing the process and not listening to feedback.
The original plan was to conclude a pilot project in Scarborough North, but the pilot has not yet concluded and no meaningful report or consultations have come from it.
The rushed timeline is being done in part, explains a city report, “to meet federal funds”. Toronto is a recipient of $471 million from the Housing Accelerator Fund, set up by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “To date, the City has received two of four instalments totalling $235.6 million from the federal government,” the staff report explains. If they do not introduce more measures to quickly allow for the construction of more housing units in Toronto, they risk losing the remaining instalments from the federal government.
“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,” the staff report says.
Scarborough Southwest Councillor Parthi Kandavel told MPulse that he has “deep concerns” regarding the sixplex plan. “The increased density in neighbourhoods will result in more cars on residential streets, create definite parking challenges in our ward where many families rely on cars, place a further strain on existing infrastructure, and incentivize deep pocketed developers to out-bid families and couples on home ownership.”
This change also means that a bungalow on any street can be replaced by an apartment building with as many as 18 bedrooms in it. While the staff report does not quantify the number of bedrooms allowable in a sixplex, another report on building fourplexes on a semi-detached property specifies that 12 bedrooms would be allowed — three bedrooms per unit.
“This may increase the risk of basement flooding in certain locations,” the staff report acknowledges. They recognize other concerns, such as parking and property value fluctuations but predict that any changes will be minor. There are no requirements to add parking spaces when creating a multiple unit building.
One online conversation about the changes among real estate professionals received strong responses, with many highlighting concerns with adding more residents to quiet streets.
“Horrid idea!” Realtor Rod Lukey posted to X. “Many neighbourhoods are not designed for this. Inevitably there are too many cars parking on streets, making them unsafe, garbage bins left out for days, grass uncut and the taxes of the neighbourhood doesn’t go down to reflect the lower desirability and values.”
While Mayor Olivia Chow was not personally involved in the committee hearing, sources tell MPulse that she is determined to see these changes pushed through at council later in June.
