More Neighbours Toronto…

More Neighbours Toronto believes that Toronto is squandering an opportunity to make progress on the housing crisis with its approach to the Bloor-Danforth Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSAs). Both the City and the province have voiced support for transit-oriented development, with mixed income communities supported by inclusionary zoning. However, the land use policies in the delineated areas do not address the urgency of the housing crisis. While we appreciate the complexity of Toronto’s Official Plan, and these 23 PMTSAs are difficult to evaluate in isolation, the delays and promises of more to come in future studies are disappointing. We hope that the Minister views this as an opportunity to increase density and simplify the planning process around these PMTSAs.

Relying on the government’s Housing Affordability Task Force recommendations, More Neighbours Toronto has three suggestions.

1. Greatly increase density permissions within the delineated areas to encourage affordable unit construction.

2. Use this as an opportunity to reduce red tape by standardizing land use designations and zoning within the PMTSAs.

3. Guarantee infrastructure investment in PMTSAs that are growing; promote growth in areas with available infrastructure.