The three-way tug-of-war between builders, homeowners, and politicians

I recently had the pleasure of reading through the Centre for Urban Research and Land Development’s latest report about building more missing middle housing in Toronto. What caught my eye was the description of the three-way tug-of-war between builders, homeowners, and politicians. 

The report says there is a latent demand for missing middle housing. Ground-oriented housing in Toronto is priced too high for many families, and not all of these families want to live in a high-rise condo. If there were more stacked townhomes and other types of missing middle housing available in Toronto, the units would likely be selling. 

According to the report, simply building more missing middle housing isn’t an option. One of the primary reasons this type of housing isn’t getting built is because of the three-way tug-of-war between builders, homeowners, and politicians. 

Builders want to build high quality, high-density housing. Land values are high and it makes more sense to build more units on a smaller site. We also need to do this in order to accomodate the quickly growing population. CUR says Toronto’s population grows by nearly 27,000 people a year, and the City is directing all this growth into 25% of its land space. 

This is where we run into issues. Many low-density areas in Toronto are protected from high-density development. Also, some homeowners want to protect the integrity of their neighbourhood, and these concerns are passed on to councillors, who can choose to fight new developments and rezoning applications on behalf of their constituents. 

Everyone deserves a voice. If you live in a detached home in Toronto and hear about a 20-storey condo being proposed near your home and you want to tell your councillor you don’t want it built in your neighbourhood, you have every right. But I think it’s important to remember that the majority of us were not the first ones to settle here.  

The “I was here first” mentality needs to change. People move from all over the country and around the world to call Toronto home. If you live here, you know exactly why. The diversity, job opportunities, and vibrant communities are enough to attract families from every corner of the globe. 

CUR recommends the City open up certain areas that are currently protected from high-density development. “The City could accommodate all of the expected population growth over the next three decades by opening up all of Toronto’s neighborhoods to more density (measured as the number of people per square kilometer), while still not materially altering the feel and structure of neighborhoods,” explains the report. 

The report lists areas in Toronto that currently feature existing missing middle housing, like Roncesvalles, Trinity Bellwoods, and The Junction. These are highly sought after areas and the inclusion of missing middle housing only adds to the vibe.

What troubles me the most is when development applications get fought even when the details of the proposal adhere to the Official Plan. All this does is slow the development process, and the longer it takes, the more expensive it is for the builder. Then the costs get passed down to the buyer. 

It seems like even if the City took CUR’s advice and opened up Toronto to more density in all neighbourhoods, developments would still get slowed down by NIMBYism. Instead of preventing people from moving to the city, let’s all embrace the fact that Toronto is one of the best cities in the world, and we’re lucky to be living here. Let’s figure out a way to welcome more families and skilled workers so we can keep growing into an even more prominent world-class city.