City of Toronto seeks input from residents’ associations on mulitplex plans for neighbourhoods
By MATTHEW STEPHENS
The City of Toronto’s Multiplex Monitoring team and Sixplex Study team is set to host consultation meetings focused on two key housing initiatives with resident associations across the city’s four districts.
The meetings will be held for residents’ association representatives in Etobicoke (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.) and North York (2 p.m. to 4 p.m.) on Monday, March 24. Residents’ associations in Scarborough (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.) and Toronto East York (2 p.m. to 4 p.m.) meetings will be held on Tuesday, March 25.
The city consultations will provide updated findings from the Multiplex Monitoring Program; an initiative intended to monitor the city’s implementation of multiplexes following Toronto Council’s approval of an Official Plan Amendment and zoning bylaw amendment to permit multiplexes back in May 2023.
Although he won’t be attending the upcoming meeting for Toronto East York, President of the Balmy Beach Residents’ Association John Cameron hopes that members of residents’ associations will be supportive of new development in the city in light of the housing crisis.
“Residents’ associations have typically been branded as ‘Not in my backyard,’ and have been skeptical of development in the past. However, with the housing crisis, many Beach residents are worried on options for their neighbours, their children, or themselves to live in the coming years,” said Cameron in an email to Beach Metro Community News.
The monitoring program tasked city staff to consult with Toronto Building, Community Planning, Urban Forestry, Transportation Services, Engineering and Construction Services, Housing Secretariat, Toronto Hydro, and industry stakeholders, to ascertain information following the implementation of multiplexes, and report on key factors such as the review of minor variance and building permit applications, transportation, infrastructure capacity, and tracking of multiplex characteristics such as location, unit size, number of bedrooms, and design.
The meeting will also provide updates on provincial regulatory changes, look to residents’ associations for feedback, and provide details regarding the next phase of housing policy changes including increasing the maximum number of permitted units in detached houses from four to six.
Cameron said he is in favour of multiplex development over large-scale construction of residential towers in the city – particularly in the Beach area.
“The Beach has a proud history of gentle density, and there are some low rises throughout the community. They add necessary housing options, and should be encouraged throughout the city. On a personal level, I find these developments more appealing than the tall towers, as they help keep neighbourhood character, while providing the housing residents – rather than investors – prefer,” he said.
These meetings are intended specifically for residents’ associations, but consultations for the public on both housing initiatives are expected to take place in April.
