The city hopes streamlining the construction of multifamily housing will slow the growth of housing costs and prevent the displacement of residents as the city grows.
The zoning reform movement is making headway north of the border, with Toronto approving two- to four-unit multiplexes, also known as ‘missing middle housing,’ across the city, according to a report by Shawn Jeffords on CBC.
The move is part of a plan to build 285,000 new homes in the next decade to address the city’s rising housing costs. “With the vote, council will change the types of permissions needed to build a multiplex, ensuring property owners who want to build one can now apply for a building permit rather than a much more rigourous approval to change the city's official plan or zoning by-laws.”
“The city is expecting 700,000 new residents by 2051, but with sky-rocketing home and rental prices affordability is already a problem,” Jeffords explains. Councillor Brad Bradford, a supporter of the decision, acknowledged the multiplex rule wouldn’t be a silver bullet solution for the housing crisis, but said that the city needs “1,000 points of innovation.”
FULL STORY: Toronto city council approves multiplexes to address growing housing crisis
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