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Toronto is poised to make a major breakthrough to expand laneway housing. Yesterday, community council passed a motion requesting that city staff report on a laneway suite initiative that would dramatically cut the red tape surrounding the creation of these residential spaces. The directive awaits city council approval in early July, which would put a staff report on the table in early 2018, but this is as close as Toronto has ever been…

At a time when the City of Toronto is desperate to increase its stock of rental housing; when the city is anxious for affordability; and especially at a time when Torontonians are struggling to remain in their homes, the concept of laneway suites appears as a glimmer of hope in our current state of despair.

Grannie flats, man-caves, back-yard studios — call them what you will, tiny, fully-serviced homes on the same property as a larger house have been around for a long time. But laneway suites — which not only sit in the backyard of a house, but also front on to an accessible laneway — are a different breed. And according to a new study, they could be a crucial tool in dealing with Toronto’s rental housing shortage.

The solution to Toronto’s housing affordability crisis could be found in your own backyard. The city is looking to change the rules around developing one of its few resources of underused land – laneways. The city voted last night in favour of moving forward with the idea of making laneway houses for people in a densely populated city.

A possible solution to Toronto’s affordable housing crisis while helping homeowners generate income needed to afford a home.