By Tess Kalinowski | Toronto Star | Dec. 7, 2020 |
Toronto wants to add garden suites to its expanding tool kit of options for boosting the supply of homes in established neighbourhoods that are rich in amenities such as schools and transit but don’t have much in the way of affordable or rental housing.
A staff report before the city’s planning and housing committee on Tuesday recommends that Toronto begin public consultations early in the New Year to develop guidelines for garden suites just as it has for laneway houses and secondary suites.
Garden suites — also referred to as coach houses, granny flats and tiny homes — are already common in some U.S. cities and other Ontario municipalities, said Toronto chief planner Gregg Lintern.
“This is another way of taking the price of land out of the housing equation,” he said.