The province should consider…

The province should consider introducing a standard definition for the minimum number of dwelling units that constitutes an apartment building. In Toronto, an apartment building is defined as having 5 or more units, in other cities it is more than 3 units. Meanwhile, MPAC defines multi-unit residential buildings as having 7 or more units for purposes of property tax rate determination (not applicable to condo tenure...). I would like to use this opportunity to ask the province to consider introducing a standard definition for apartment buildings as having 7 or more dwelling units in alignment with the MPAC threshold. This might also necessitate a separate definition of buildings containing 3 units (triplexes), 4 units (fourplexes) and 5 or 6 units (fiveplex/sixplexes). This would require municipalities to develop distinct zoning regulations applicable to triplexes, four-plexes, five-plexes and six-plexes and view them as distinct from larger apartment buildings. Municipalities might elect to apply the same parking, setbacks, landscaping and related standards to be equally as restrictive, but it would at least provide a framework for municipalities to consider unique permissions for small-scale multi-unit housing.

As I understand it, the rationale for recent zoning reforms led by Toronto's EHON planning study to allow fourplexes irrespective of lot width and frontage is based on the current definition of apartment buildings of 5 or more units. Changing the definition of apartment building to 7 or more units could help Toronto to develop distinct zoning regulations for five-plexes and six-plexes (similar to what Vancouver, Edmonton and the City of Victoria have implemented) on larger lots and corner lots where slightly larger buildings and more density can be accommodated.

Providing a standardized definition is also a very low-cost measure to implement, and might be supplemented by a provincial planning policy manual & site standards to support local governments with developing five-plex and six-plex regulations.

Thank you.