What Is Bill 23?
Written by Guest Author: Ronald A. De Coteau
ONTARIO IS DONE WITH SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL LOTS
Also known as exclusionary zoning which gives municipalities the ability to exclude certain types of land uses within neighborhoods.
The more homes built faster Act known as Bil l23 approved in 2022 laid out provisions that restricts an official plan from containing provisions that would in effect restrict the development of a triplex on a tract of land typically used for single residential properties.
This will have the effect of immediately increasing the housing supply within residential communities. For example the owner of a single family residential lot (if they wish) can now add up to two additional residential units on that lot.
This means, where there was once one dwelling unit there can now be three, essentially increasing the housing supply by two-thirds, theoretically speaking.
In the past, municipalities have been opposed to such policies that would essentially force intensification within built up communities. In spite of the push back from NIBMY’s we are now seeing many municipalities depart from restrictive exclusionary housing policies. And actively considering how they would implement such policies into their official plan which then gets filtered into their zoning bylaws.
Leading the way is the City of Hamilton which preemptively implemented progressive policies that would allow for the development of up to four units per residential lot which exceeds the provisions of the more homes built faster provincial policy which required only up to three residential units.
The City of Burlington known for its restrictive policies surrounding additional residential units has already taken the necessary steps to swiftly implement the provisions Bill 23. This will mean that “As of Right” residents and real estate investors will be allowed to convert their single family residential lot into a property containing tree residential units.
The City of Toronto known for its progressive thinking is determined to provide much needed affordable housing to address the housing crisis. They hope to do so by removing the exclusionary zoning policy, introducing safe multi-tenant housing referred to as “rooming housing” and reforming the planning and building permit process.
There will be a major push by all municipalities to implement these policies set forth in the “More Homes Built Faster Act” as we progress into 2024. There will be continued challenges that will need to be addressed such as building permit processing time and labor shortages. Twenty-nine cities across Ontario are expected to meet housing targets to aid the province in developing 1.5 million homes the next decade.
Ontario is growing fast and it is getting more expensive to live in major cities. Policies that would allow additional residential units and intensification of existing communities will greatly increase Ontario’s ability to create long term economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and diverse communities that Ontarians love.