Item - 2021.PH24.4

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council receive the report (May 27, 2021) from the Chief Operating Officer, Development, for information.

This report brings forward updates on the work completed to date by the Concept 2 Keys team, highlighting preliminary results of Phase 1, updates on preparatory work for Phase 2, and additional City-wide development process improvements.

The Concept 2 Keys (C2K) program is transforming, enhancing and improving how the City delivers effective and coordinated development review services. The objective is to design and build a development review process that is consistent, transparent, collaborative and accountable across City staff and applicants. C2K has worked at an accelerated pace to implement development review improvements which include:

- Launching Phase 1 to prioritize and expedite 21 affordable housing development projects creating a total of 2,269 new affordable housing units and 120 replacement social housing units.
 

- Establishing a new application management function to oversee a portfolio of City-wide development applications, and contributing a complementary role in managing relationships and mutual accountability between City staff and applicants.

 
- Preparing for the launch of Phase 2 at the end of Q2 2021, focusing on application types beyond affordable housing in a geographic planning area (Etobicoke-York). The intent of Phase 2 is to test the scalability of process and technology improvements in a typical development review environment.  

 
- Establishing an interdivisional working group to support recruitment and retention priorities. Positions related to development have been deemed a priority for City-wide recruitment efforts.
 

- Implementing and testing new development review technology to improve the customer journey across applicants and City staff. This is being achieved through streamlining the application submission process, improving workflows, and enhancing collaboration. This includes a new online submission tool and file circulation platform to be integrated with the City's existing backend technology.
 

- Establishing a tiered governance framework to resolve development review conflicts, align on competing divisional priorities to provide a unified City position, and approve key development review improvements.

 
- Creating a new relationship and issues management function to enhance customer service and address application-specific concerns.

 
- Initiating work with an interdivisional working group to update the Development Guide's Terms of Reference. These updates will support applicants in submitting high-quality and complete applications.
 

- Conducting jurisdictional research and stakeholder consultations to identify opportunities for improving the pre-application consultation process.

 
- Commencing a development fee review to improve the City's existing fee structure to recover the costs of service.
 

- Offering different modes of communication with C2K's stakeholders to foster greater collaboration and adoption of C2K.

This report is supplemental to PH24.4 – Concept 2 Keys (C2K) Development Application Review Program – Second Quarter of 2021 Update and was prepared in response to a request from HousingNowTO to provide site-specific metrics for each affordable housing application being reviewed through Phase 1 of the C2K Program.

Phase 1 prioritizes and expedites affordable housing development projects. To date, 21 affordable housing applications have been assigned to the C2K Program review teams, and these projects will create a total of 2,269 new affordable housing units and 120 replacement social housing units.

Attachment 1 presents site-specific metrics for 21 affordable housing development projects to date, including Number of Units at or Below Average Market Rent, Depth of Affordability, and Length of Affordability.