For Immediate Release

June 1, 2017

Groundbreaking Laneway Suites Report Released by Lanescape & Evergreen:
Councillors Bailão and McMahon Submit Motion to Implement Laneway Suites

In conjunction with a groundbreaking report on laneway suites by Lanescape and Evergreen, City Councillors Ana Bailão (Ward 18, Davenport) and Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32, Beaches-East York) have submitted a motion to the June 13, 2017 Toronto and East York Community Council meeting to implement a laneway suite initiative in the Toronto and East York District.

The motion seeks the support of City Councillors to request Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat to review the Laneway Suites Report, consult with appropriate City staff, undertake further community consultation and report back in the first quarter of 2018 with respect to any recommended changes required to implement a laneway suites initiative in the Toronto and East York District.

The newly released report recommends actions including the establishment of an as-of-right planning framework for laneway suites alongside a set of recommended performance standards that will provide a strong foundation for the future of laneway suites in Toronto.

The report was based on an extensive consultation process that engaged with over 3,000 Torontonians through an online survey, written feedback, and in-person consultations in Wards 18, 32 and at the Evergreen Brick Works. The laneway suites team also met with relevant City Divisions to seek feedback on addressing various technical requirements and with City Councillors in the Toronto and East York District.

The motion also requests the Chief Planner to provide an implementation strategy for laneway suites in the Toronto and East York District which may include, but is not limited to, cost, incentives, application review processes and timelines, and comparable actions from other municipalities that have implemented laneway suites.

Members of the public in the Toronto and East York District are encouraged to let their City Councillor know that they support the motion submitted by Councillors Bailão and McMahon and that the time has come to implement a laneway suites initiative in the Toronto and East York District.

The motion from Councillors Bailão and McMahon can be found here.

The Laneway Suites Report is available for download here.

Quotes:

"Laneway suites can help address the need for more "missing middle" housing by adding gentle density to our neighbourhoods, in addition to establishing more rental stock and creating multi-generational living opportunities for families."

– Ana Bailão, City Councillor, Ward 18 Davenport and Toronto's Housing Advocate

"Laneway suites will strengthen our neighbourhoods in the Toronto and East York District by transforming underutilized spaces into more active, safe and welcoming places for Torontonians."

– Mary-Margaret McMahon, City Councillor, Ward 32 Beaches-East York

"The responsible performance standards proposed in the report alongside a streamlined, straightforward and affordable as-of-right planning approvals process have the potential to be a game changer in bringing laneway suites to Toronto for once and for all."

– Craig Race, Lanescape

“The recommended actions and performance standards outlined in this report are the result of countless hours of feedback from residents, City staff, Councillors and experts, providing a way forward to establish laneway suites in Toronto."

– Jo Flatt, Senior Program Manager at Evergreen

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Media Contact:

Robert Cerjanec, Councillor Bailão's Office, 416-338-5274, [email protected]

Abby Ramcharan, Councillor McMahon's Office, 416-392-1376, [email protected]

Craig Race, Lanescape, 647-823-6877, [email protected]

Renee Tratch, Evergreen, 416-596-1495 x273, [email protected]

For Immediate Release
March 16, 2017

Torontonians Want to Move Forward on Laneway Suites:
Consultation Summary Report Released

The findings of three public consultations held to discuss the opportunities and viability for laneway suites in Toronto have demonstrated that residents across the city are interested in seeing how laneway suites could be part of Toronto’s future. The consultations were led by Evergreen, Lanescape, Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32, Beaches-East York), Councillor Ana Bailão (Ward 18, Davenport) and were co-facilitated by Crazy Dames.

Following the team’s announcement in November 2016 to advance the conversation about laneway suites in Toronto, over 400 people were engaged through in-person consultations. The goals of the consultations were to discuss the potential for laneway suites locally, explain the provincial and municipal policy context, and collect community input regarding the uses of laneways and design considerations for what laneway suites could look like in Toronto.

Community participants identified a number of important ideas related to sustainable design, reducing red-tape, flexible design guidelines, parking considerations and integration with public realm. Several questions were raised by residents and the team is working hard to address the key issues raised. The team is also working with City Divisions to discuss technical requirements and are meeting with City Councillors in the Toronto and East York District to seek additional feedback.

The public consultations were held in Wards 18, 32 and a citywide conversation was held at the Evergreen Brick Works. Detailed findings can be found in the report which can be downloaded at: https://www.evergreen.ca/our-impact/cityworks/housing/laneway-suites/

The consultation process also included a survey which has been distributed citywide and has currently received over 2,000 responses. The survey is still open for Torontonians to provide their feedback on laneway suites and can be found at: http://www.lanescape.ca/survey

Quotes:

“We had an overwhelming level of attendance at all three consultations. People across the city want to be talking and thinking about how laneway suites can work here.”
– Jo Flatt, Senior Program Manager at Evergreen

"It has been exciting to see such a high level of engagement in our own communities and across Toronto. The input that our team has received so far is an important part of developing community focused guidelines for laneway suites that reflect the needs and interest of Torontonians."
– Mary-Margaret McMahon, City Councillor, Ward 32 Beaches-East York

"With the ongoing housing crisis in Toronto, laneway suites can be an important tool to add gentle density, bring more rental to the market and provide opportunities for multi-generational living to keep families together."
– Ana Bailão, City Councillor, Ward 18 Davenport and Toronto's Housing Advocate

"We thank those who have already contributed their feedback and encourage Torontonians to continue to fill out the survey sharing their ideas on what laneway suites can look like."
– Craig Race, Lanescape

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Media Contact:

Robert Cerjanec, Councillor Bailão's Office, 416-338-5274, [email protected]

Abby Ramcharan, Councillor McMahon's Office, 416-392-1376, [email protected]

Jo Flatt, Evergreen, 416-596-1495 x345, [email protected]

Craig Race, Lanescape, 647-823-6877, [email protected]

For Immediate Release

December 5, 2016

City-Wide Laneway Suites Consultation Taking Place

This Evening at the Evergreen Brickworks

Evergreen, Lanescape, Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32, Beaches-East York) and Councillor Ana Bailão (Ward 18, Davenport) are hosting a city-wide consultation about laneway suites this evening at the Evergreen Brick Works.

Date: Monday, December 5, 2016

Time: 7pm to 9pm

Location: Evergreen Brick Works, BMO Atrium, 550 Bayview Avenue

The consultation will feature short presentations from Michelle Senayah (The Laneway Project), Mike Collins-Williams (Ontario Home Builders’ Association), and Brigitte Shim (Shim-Sutcliffe Architects). Participants will have an opportunity to contribute their ideas to help shape the future of laneway suites in Toronto through an interactive clay modelling session co-facilitated by Crazy Dames.

Due to a large amount of interest, tickets are now sold out. However, residents can still participate in a city-wide survey to tell us what laneway suites should look like in Toronto at: http://www.lanescape.ca/survey

The team has already received over 1,000 survey responses and have hosted two well attended local community conversations in Wards 18 and 32. The expert team are currently gathering the inputs needed to craft resident-informed design guidelines that address the aspirations, sensitivities and needs of residents to support the City of Toronto, City Planning and the Toronto and East York Community Council to take action and enable the development of laneway suites.

What are laneway suites and why are they important?

Laneway suites take advantage of underused laneway spaces, like garages and parking pads, to construct additional housing, sensitively increasing housing supply while respecting the existing character of our neighbourhoods. 

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I have been working with my colleague, Councillor Mary Margaret McMahon (Ward 32, Beaches-East York), alongside Evergreen and Lanescape to advance the idea of building laneway suites in Toronto. The specific type of laneway suites that we are looking at would be serviced (water, sewage, electricity) from the main house and the land would not be able to be severed or sold separately.

Laneway suites take advantage of underused laneway spaces, like garages and parking pads to construct additional housing – gently increasing density and respecting the existing character of our neighbourhoods. By introducing a new diversity to the housing supply, much like basement apartments, laneway suites have the potential to provide an additional income for homeowners and can be well suited for aging seniors or adult children who want to be close to their existing family support systems.

The end goal is to produce a consultant’s report to establish laneway suites performance standards for the Toronto and East York Community Council District.

I will be hosting a local community conversation at St. Mary's Catholic School on Monday November 28 at 7pm, with an optional walking tour of nearby laneways at 6:15pm. There will also be a city-wide consultation at the Evergreen Brick Works on Monday December 5 at 7pm. I hope that you are able to attend to learn more about laneway suites and to provide your ideas and feedback.

For Immediate Release

November 15, 2016

Opening the Door to Laneway Suites in Toronto

Lanescape, Evergreen, Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32, Beaches-East York) and Councillor Ana Bailão (Ward 18, Davenport) have announced that they are working together to advance the dialogue around ‘laneway suites’ in the City of Toronto.

Laneway suites are small, detached dwelling units, typically located at the rear of a residential property adjacent to a laneway. In this situation, laneway suites cannot be severable or strata-titled and would be serviced (water, sewer, electricity, gas, etc.) through the main house. Currently, laneway suites are not allowed under the existing zoning by-law, have only been considered on a case-by-case basis, and are hindered by excessive red tape and unnecessary costs.

"Laneway suites have the potential to increase our housing supply in a responsible, sustainable manner and provide additional rental opportunities for Torontonians." said Councillor Ana Bailão, Toronto's Housing Advocate. "They can reshape our thinking about secondary suites, looking beyond the traditional basement apartment as a way to provide extra income or as a place for adult children, empty nesters and care-takers to live close to their family support networks."

Laneway suites can transform underutilized spaces such as rear garages and parking pads, into sensitively scaled housing, utilizing existing infrastructure and respecting the form and character of the dense, walkable neighbourhoods in the Toronto & East York District.

"Toronto has more than 2,400 publicly owned laneways, covering more than 250 linear kilometers of public space, which have the potential to become more active, useful spaces in our urban fabric." said Councillor McMahon. "Unlocking these assets is a key part of creating safe, accessible spaces for residents to enjoy."

Municipalities across Canada, including Vancouver, Ottawa and Regina are innovating by introducing laneway suites and we believe it's time for Toronto to get on board!

Through a survey, local and city-wide consultations, the expert team will gather the inputs needed to craft guidelines that address the aspirations, sensitivities and needs of residents in order to support the City of Toronto, City Planning and Toronto and East York Community Council to take action and enable the development of laneway suites.

City-Wide Consultation Details

Date & Time: Monday December 5, 2016 from 7pm to 9pm

Location: Evergreen Brick Works, BMO Atrium, 550 Bayview Avenue

The survey is available at http://www.lanescape.ca/survey

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