Item - 2021.MM36.33

City Council on October 1 and 4, 2021, adopted the following:

1.  City Council direct the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with the General Manager, Toronto Water, the Chief Engineer and Executive Director, Engineering and Construction Services, the Chief Building Official and Executive Director, Toronto Building, the General Manager, Parks Forestry and Recreation, and relevant divisions as well as external agencies and research institutions including the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, to report back on strategies to address the impacts of developments referred to as "iceberg houses," single-family detached dwellings with multi-storey basements that extend significantly beyond the surface footprint of the building, such report to include:
 

a.  a review of issues including, but not limited to:

i.  soil permeability and erosion;

ii.  mature tree injuries and removals;
iii.  dainage and stormwater management; and
iv.  impacts to neighbouring properties during and post-construction;

b.  mechanisms to address water management issues through the minor variance review process, with a specific focus on environmentally-sensitive areas;

c.  a review of soil depth requirements to achieve the functional benefits of softscaping, including soil permeability, water absorption and root health, as well as the implications of reduced soil depth due to an extended underground basement for on-site tree replanting agreements; and

d.  a jurisdictional review of best practices in other high-density municipalities, including London, England.