The proposed amendments…

The proposed amendments regulating Garden Suites and Secondary Suites are a very poor idea. Something that was supposed to provide a little extra accommodation for family or to allow a rental unit to be created is now opening the door to an extra house being built in one's backyard. Maintaining FSI requirements, keeping a significant distance between buildings, limiting lot coverage by all buildings, maintaining angular plane regulation, and stating a minimum lot size for ARU are all measures to prevent overcrowding in neighbourhoods established or brand new. I'm not sure why it is considered a good idea to further reduce checks and balances in the neighbourhood supposedly to create more housing. Has the withdrawing of ability 3rd parties to appeal a CoA decision produced more housing? I would argue the limiting of appeals for applications has NOT resulted in many more housing units being built. Too often the builder will get what he wants in an application and then sell that approved plan to someone else or sit on it until the market creates a more profitable deal for that investor. Not that I was ever a fan of the failed plan of Mr. Ford's to develop the Greenbelt, but the "use it or lose it" time limit is what's needed. We have builds in our neighbourhood that were approved in 2015 and only now are under construction building a home with a price of over 2 million dollars.
Another home was demolished and a large hole has been on the site for the past 6 months with no plans to build for another 12 months. Taking away regulations make it easier for builders, but they have not build any more homes. These amendments are poorly thought out and will produce overcrowding of overly expensive homes and living units. The Toronto Star reports of affordable Wartime homes in Toronto being bought up by builders, demolished, and replaced with expensive small homes that do little to help with the housing crisis. These amendments should not be passed. It is certainly what the builders want but it will produce very few homes and even fewer AFFORDABLE homes.