Garden Suites in Neighbourhood Housing:Toronto

Toronto wants to add garden suites to its expanding tool kit of options for boosting the supply of homes in established neighbourhoods that are rich in amenities such as schools and transit but don’t have much in the way of affordable or rental housing.

BY Realty Plus
Published - Wednesday, 09 Dec, 2020

Garden Suites in Neighbourhood Housing:Toronto

Toronto wants to add garden suites to its expanding tool kit of options for boosting the supply of homes in established neighbourhoods that are rich in amenities such as schools and transit but don’t have much in the way of affordable or rental housing. City’s planning and housing committee on Tuesday recommends that Toronto begin public consultations early in the New Year to develop guidelines for garden suites just as it has for laneway houses and secondary suites. “Garden suites also referred to as coach houses, granny flats and tiny homes are already common in some U.S. cities and other Ontario municipalities,” said Toronto chief planner Gregg Lintern. Garden suites differ from Toronto’s laneway houses in as far they can be built on residential lots that don’t have back alleys. Like laneway homes, they are self-contained units separate from the house, located at the end of the driveway or in the backyard, he said. The suite would be tethered to the main house for utilities and plumbing, like a basement apartment. In some cases, garages could be converted to garden suites if they complied with the building code and the zoning bylaw that prescribes how high the units can be built and how far from the lot line. Garden suites are the latest entry in the city’s Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods program designed to add new housing formats to areas that have relatively few rentals and are mostly limited to single-family homes.