Email
Print
FeedIt’s time to fix the loopholes
Major overhaul of zoning bylaws now underway
CLIFF JENKINS-Ward 25 Councillor
“HOW DID THEY ever get permission to build that, there?” is a common question. People usually assume it was a decision of the committee of adjustment (COA) or Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) to grant a minor variance to the zoning bylaw.
But sometimes there is a different answer — the zoning bylaw actually permitted the development. A classic example is the shoehorning of a school or a place of worship onto a residential lot previously occupied by a single-family home.
People need to know that, with the recent release of a staff report, the city is now starting a project to consolidate the forty- three bylaws inherited from our predecessor municipalities before amalgamation into a single new zoning bylaw. That represents a great opportunity to fix the “loopholes.”
The staff report proposes new definitions and rules to redefine long-established zoning regulations. For example, the new standard lot coverage would be 35 per cent, whereas many areas are currently at 25 or 30 per cent. And it eliminates the floor space index (FSI) concept utilized for homes in the former city of Toronto.
Using a new higher 10-metre height provision, it might now be possible to build three-storey homes with massing that would have a 1.05 FSI, as of right.
Secondly, the provisions for side yard setbacks would be derived by formula, but, in almost all cases, would be reduced from the current side yard provisions in most of our communities.
In the end, we could see significantly larger homes (or other types of structures) squeezed onto our residential lots.
Ask me about the dates of community consultation meetings this summer.
Advertisement
Home | Best of T.O. | Food & Drink | Fashion & Shopping | Deal Estate | News & Crime | Arts & Events | Kids | Classifieds | Archive
About Us | Contact Us | Advertise | My Account
Copyright 2012 Post City Magazines, Inc. All rights reserved.
Comments to the Post City Magazines website do not reflect the opinions of the company or the author of the article in question. We do not edit comments for grammar, length or clarity. Offensive comments will be removed at the discretion of Post City Magazines. To read all of our website policies, click here.