Virtual Community Consultation Meeting on Toronto’s multiplex residential plans set for April 8

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

The City of Toronto’s Multiplex Monitoring team and Sixplex Study team is seeking input from residents on future development guidelines.

A virtual Community Consultation Meeting (CCM) is set for Tuesday, April 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. and residents from across the city are invited to share their views and learn more about these housing initiatives.

Earlier this month, the city had held meetings for representatives of residents’ associations across Toronto on the topic.

The April 8 virtual meeting will provide members of the public with updates 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 in May 2023.

The meeting will address potential updates to the city’s multiplex permissions, which could increase the number of permitted units from four to six in detached houses, within the current four-unit multiplex building envelope.

As part of the monitoring program, city staff were tasked with consulting Toronto Building, Community Planning, Urban Forestry, Transportation Services, Engineering and Construction Services, Housing Secretariat, Toronto Hydro, and industry stakeholders, to ascertain information following implementation of multiplexes, and report on key factors such as the review of minor variance and building permit applications, impacts to the city’s tree canopy and growing space, transportation, infrastructure capacity, and tracking of multiplex characteristics like location, unit size, number of bedrooms, and design.

According to the Sixplex and Multiplex CCM notice, feedback from the public consultation will “Inform city staff’s recommendations to the Planning and Housing Committee this year.”

The city’s plans to implement more multiplex housing comes as part of the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) initiative: a City of Toronto measure intended to facilitate more low-rise housing in residential neighbourhoods to meet the needs of increased population and city expansion.

In a statement in the March 18 edition of Beach Metro Community News, President of the Balmy Beach Residents’ Association John Cameron addressed the previous meetings for residents’ associations, saying he was in favour of multiplex development that will introduce “gentle” density to the neighbourhood and provide relief in light of Toronto’s ongoing housing crisis.

“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.

“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.”

The April 8 virtual public meeting will provide feedback from the city’s findings and feature a Q&A period for residents to find out what the new regulations will mean for their communities. To register to take part in the meeting, please go to https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/public-consultations/city-planning-consultations/

• Matthew Stephens is a junior reporter interning at Beach Metro Community News, covering local stories and community events.