Nearly 6 months after its enactment, the Changing Lanes policy has continued to gain traction in our city. There are currently about 50 laneway suite applications under review, putting Toronto on a similar pace to Vancouver where 100 were approved in the first year. While fielding inquiries for dozens of properties, our team has found that many homeowners and their builders are still learning about the city’s emergency access criteria. This requirement is not a part of the zoning by-law – its assessed as part of the permit review. This stipulation has the potential to disqualify a lot that would otherwise conform to the policy, so we have taken it upon ourselves to seek clarity on the issue.
LANEWAY LIFE SAFETY: Demystifying Emergency Access
2018: WHAT A YEAR!
Needless to say, 2018 was a whirlwind of a year for us here at Lanescape. We began the year deeply enthralled in our efforts to show the City of Toronto how laneway development could be a viable means of supporting density and a new breed of accessible urban housing. While we were still uncertain of the outcome, knowing that we were very close to changing lanes was all the motivation we needed to dig our heels in and ramp up the charge. After a long two years of community consultations and staff reports, the TEYCC was slated to make their decision in May. We were on the edge of our seats. Much to our dismay, the council voted to defer their decision, requesting further information before making a commitment. A month later, the motion was finally approved in principle and forwarded to Council for formal approval and enactment. By Summer’s end, the city had it’s brand new Changing Lanes Policy (By-law 810-2018) in place!
LANEWAY SUITE WORKSHOPS: A REFLECTION
With the Changing Lanes by-law now adopted and in full affect, the Lanescape team is continuing to work closely with homeowners and industry professionals to navigate its nuances, bringing this exciting new housing typology to a reality.
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LANEWAY SUITE WORKSHOPS
We are excited to inform you that we are starting a workshop program that is going to launch on October 30th!
This class is intended for design professionals and homeowners who are interested in learning more about laneway suites. It will help you understand the history, design, approvals, and construction of this new housing typology.
3 MYTHS ABOUT THE ANGULAR PLANE REQUIREMENT (AND WHY IT IS AWESOME!)
Toronto City Council is voting to adopt the Changing Lanes policy. It was already approved by the Toronto and East York Community Council, and that decision will hopefully be adopted some time in the next 36 hours.
While we wait for the Council decision, I (Craig, the resident architect) want to dive into one of the most important and controversial aspects of the policy – the rear yard angular plane.