Item - 2017.TE25.108

 The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:

1.  City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with appropriate staff from Engineering and Construction Services, Transportation Services, Solid Waste, Toronto Fire, Toronto Water and any other relevant City staff to review the Laneway Suites report from Lanescape and Evergreen, to develop and undertake an enhanced consultation plan, including specific outreach and consultation with local Residents' Associations and other stakeholders, in consultation with the local Councillors within the Toronto and East York District, and to report back in the first quarter of 2018 with respect to any recommended changes required to implement a laneway suite initiative within the Toronto and East York District.

2.  City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with appropriate staff from Engineering and Construction Services, Transportation Services, Solid Waste Management Services, Toronto Fire, Toronto Water and any other relevant City staff, to consider any recommended changes to areas within the Toronto and East York District that are geographically appropriate for laneway suites, as well as a potential monitoring period, and to include this in the first quarter of 2018 report.

3.  City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning in consultation with appropriate civic officials to consider a possible implementation strategy for laneway suites in the Toronto and East York District which may include, but is not limited to, cost, incentives, and application review processes and timelines, comparable actions from other municipalities that have implemented laneway suites, and to include this in the first quarter of 2018 report.

4.  City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to include in the first quarter of 2018 report, potential staffing resources required to implement laneway housing in the Toronto and East York District, and also, to provide comparable data on staff resources in other municipalities that have implemented laneway suites.

5. City Council request the Director, Community Planning, in consultation with appropriate City staff, to include in the first quarter of  2018 report, consideration of how the implementation of laneway suites could align with laneway animation objectives across the Toronto and East York Community Council District.

6.  City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to consult with the Executive Director, Affordable Housing Office, to include in the first quarter of 2018 report, policies to ensure the provision of affordable housing as part of the laneway suites initiative.

7.  City Council refer the Harbord Village Resident's Association laneway report (Communication TE25.108.21) to the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, for information.

We have been working with Lanescape and Evergreen since early 2016 to advance the dialogue around 'laneway suites' in order to put forward a set of responsible performance standards that address the aspirations, sensitivities and needs of residents in our communities.

As part of the work undertaken by the team, we engaged with over 3,000 residents though an extensive consultation process that included an online survey, written feedback, in-person consultations in Wards 18, 32 and a public consultation at the Evergreen Brick Works. The feedback received has been overwhelming positive and the team has taken steps to address the key issues raised by residents as part of the recommended performance standards.

Throughout this process, the team met with relevant City Divisions to seek feedback on how best to address the technical requirements for laneway suites and we have also sought to include your feedback into the performance standards that have been developed. We are also grateful to the City Planning and other Divisional staff who have provided their advice and feedback as the team worked to prepare this independent report and set of performance standards.

Toronto has more than 2,400 publically owned laneways, covering more than 250 linear kilometers of public space, which have the potential to become much more active, useful spaces in our urban fabric. Laneway suites can transform underutilized spaces such as rear garages and parking pads, into sensitively scaled housing, utilizing existing infrastructure and respecting the form and character of the dense, walkable neighbourhoods in the Toronto and East York District.

Laneway suites represent an important step forward in addressing the need for more "missing middle" housing and have the potential to add much needed rental units into the market. They can reshape our thinking about secondary suites, looking beyond the traditional basement apartment as a way to provide extra income or as a place for adult children, empty nesters and care-takers to live close to their family support networks.

We want to eliminate the excessive red tape and unnecessary costs associated with building a laneway suite in the current context by proposing thoughtful and sensitive policy changes for Toronto to join the other municipalities in Canada who have already allowed for laneway suites to be built.

We believe that the time has now come for Toronto to allow for laneway suites and therefore recommend the following: