City sparks debate with proposal to mix 6-storey apartments, single-family homes

Neighbourhood associations say consultation flawed, while expert says time to move forward

cbc.ca
Dec. 6, 2023

Mina Mirzaei wants to live in a Toronto where she doesn't have to drive every time she wants to buy a carton of milk.

She's hopeful a city proposal to let apartment buildings in neighbourhoods like hers build six storeys high instead of four, might help make that happen.

The city is hosting a webinar Wednesday night to talk about its major streets study, which proposes "gentle densification" along large streets lined with single-family homes across the city from Scarborough to Etobicoke.

The study is part of an ongoing initiative to expand housing options in neighbourhoods the city considers mainly residential.

The study will go back before city hall in the new year. But there are still some hurdles that remain before density increases across the city. Staff have been instructed to conduct consultations with stakeholders like residents' associations, multiple of which have raised concerns about the idea.

In a joint letter, seven associations say the consultation has been deeply flawed and six storeys is too high for the character of their neighbourhoods. A city official says their concerns are being heard but the streets are evolving to house people in a way they didn't before. Meanwhile, one expert says the idea's been studied to death and it's time to put the plan in action.

Mirzaei feels similarly, which is why she says she was not happy to receive a flier warning people about the idea. 

Mirzaei received a flier ahead from the Islington Ratepayers and Residents Association warning that apartments buildings with up to six storeys and 30 units could be coming to Kipling and Islington Avenues, as well as Bloor Street, among others. The fliers tell residents how to contact the city if they're concerned.

The same message appears on the association's website.

"It really made me upset," Mirzaei said. "I own a place on a main road and I live in this neighbourhood. I hope they build more units that are good for people who want to raise a family. There's a lot of big cities in the world who have that, Toronto can have that too."

Staff proposed the change to a city committee back in September, suggesting the city's official housing plan be changed to add up to two new storeys to the apartment building floor limit.

The proposal, which would add density to neighbourhoods like Mirzaei's --- those filled predominantly by single-family homes --- is aimed at filling housing's "missing middle."

For city planning purposes, that means building low-rise housing beyond more single-detached homes, according to Kyle Knoeck, director of zoning with Toronto's city planning division.

Construction of high-rises has outpaced that of low-rise apartments, according to a 2021 Toronto Real Estate Board report. From 2006 to 2016, the number of units in mid- and high-rise buildings increased by 30 per cent, while units in low-rises increased by three per cent.

Mirzaei wants young Torontonians like her to be able to afford to live, and survive, in the city. She says she hopes the plan will lead to a more vibrant community --- one where she might spend less time in her car and more time on foot when she has to run errands.

"In a way, I'm thankful for the pamphlet, it made me realize you have to be more vocal of [your] point of view," she said.

"I know a lot of people agree with me."

Height increase concerns resident associations
Seven residents associations, from the Agincourt Village Community Association in the north and the Deer Park Residents Group in the south to the Cliffcrest Scarborough Village SW Residents Association in the east, and Islington Association in the west, signed a list of concerns submitted to the city.

Islington Association confirmed it distributed the fliers but redirected CBC Toronto to Geoff Kettel, a member of the Federation of North Toronto Residents Associations, who said he wasn't aware the fliers were being distributed.

However, Kettel said the associations remain primarily concerned about "the height and the impacts on the neighbourhood."

He said the extra two storeys could create shadows on people's homes, block their views of the sky, and make their homes less private.

"In the [city's] illustration, there was a six-storey box in the middle of a bunch of bungalows," he said.

Densification would be 'terrific,' expert says
The study has been underway for more than two years, said Knoeck, the city's zoning director, and it's now reaching its final stage --- staff will soon be able to make recommendations to council.

The idea is "terrific," said Karen Chapple, director of the school of cities at the University of Toronto.

"It's sort of been studied to death. It's time to move forward."

Chapple cautioned that even once an increase in densification is allowed, it will happen very slowly, especially with today's high building costs.

But it might, perhaps, lead to the decrease in car-reliance Mirzaei is hoping for, Chapple said.

"You can have more shops and services, you can also support transit better," she said.

"There's a virtuous upward spiral from doing a program like this."