After a long and frustrating delay, homeowners across Toronto can finally take advantage of the new garden suite by-law that came into effect at the beginning of 2022.
On February 2, 2022 the City of Toronto approved the construction of garden suites as an affordable housing option. There were some neighbouring associations who felt the City was over-reaching. The group known as the Building Better Neighbourhoods alliance filed an appeal which put a pause on garden suites.
The City responded on June 2 filing a motion of their own to have the appeal dismissed. A month later and that appeal has been approved.
A City of Toronto official with the City Planning Division confirmed that, “the appeal was dismissed earlier this week, and residents can now apply for a building permit to build a garden suite on their property if they meet the standards set out in the bylaw”.
With the verdict being issued by the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), the City of Toronto officially welcomes garden suites as the latest addition to their Expanded Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiative.
“This is good news and it will help get some more housing built. Garden suites are often a way to create homes for family members — parents, grandparents or adult children — or can be used as rental housing units,” says Toronto Mayor John Tory in a release.
The verdict came about a month after the City motioned to have the appeal dismissed.
For more information about the Toronto garden suite initiative, check out their website here.
This is privy. What impact will this have on other municipalities such as Oakville where homeless people are suffering and backyard garden land sits wasrefully.
Great question!
There are definitely other municipalities like Mississauga and Brampton who jumped on the garden suite wagon. Both cities are well on their way to legalizing garden suites.
Hopefully we will continue to see cities elect to add secondary suites like garden suites to their available building options. Perhaps Oakville will be in that mix.
Great question
I live in Oakville and all I see thus far is large 50 storey high rises. Very frustrating.
Mary, it can be very discouraging to have your hopes for an ADU dashed, and we totally get it. We recognize the importance of secondary suites like garden suites in increasing housing options, so it’s a shame that Oakville isn’t yet ready to join other nearby municipalities in allowing them. We hope that Oakville will soon come to realize the potential benefit of ADUs and allow them for qualifying properties. In the meantime, we will keep our fingers crossed that it won’t take too long before they make this decision!