Toronto City Council Introduces Garden Suite Program

Toronto City Council has released a press release announcing a program to allow residents to build garden suites on residential properties in the city:

A garden suite is defined as a housing unit, usually located in the backyard of an existing house, but separate and detached from the main house. Garden suites, like laneway suites, are generally smaller than the main house on the lot. Garden Suites are often a way to create homes for family members or can be used as rental housing units.

Through the adoption of the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw amendments, Council has put the policies in place to increase the supply and type of housing available in the city. The new policies and zoning requirements will allow garden suites to be permitted on properties in most residential zones across Toronto.

The laneway suite program has been slow-moving thus far and many attribute this to the bureaucracy of the planning process. Let’s hope that this garden suite program does not have as many barriers and can be approved and processed quickly. I will have more information on this program is upcoming months.