Laneways are plentiful in Toronto, covering more than 300 kilometres in the city. To Alex Sharpe, co-founder of Lanescape, a design and planning organization, he sees that as untapped potential for the building of laneway housing.

With laneway houses, the detached garages that exist in them are dependant on the principle residences on the same property, meaning, if converted into "laneway suites", it could allow for small rental units to make their way into the market. Luckily, with laneway suites dependent on the main residence for utilities and city services, it is in line with provincial legislation that discusses secondary units, introduced in 2011.

Sharpe's company alongside Evergreen, released a report last month that identifies roadblocks for the development of laneway suites with suggestions on how to streamline the city approval process. This report has passed a Toronto and East York Community council meeting and is on the next phase before final approval.

By introducing laneway suites there will be a jump in the available units for rent, as well as make homes accessible for everyone, by introducing more affordable housing. However, with more population occupying neighbourhoods and laneways, some neighbourhood associations have their concerns, such as:

  • Character (of neighbourhood)
  • Narrow laneways
  • Parking
  • Access to main roads

To name a few.

Supporters believe laneways suites can become part of the solution, using the idea of existing infrastructure, scarcity of purpose-built rentals, and utilizing existing structures rather than constructing more. Michelle German, senior manager of policy and partnerships at Evergreen is one of those supporters. Michelle has said:

We have built a lot of infrastructure in the city and we can accommodate more density... right now we have a very low number of purpose-built rentals, and this could add more to the market...instead of building out and continuing to sprawl. (Toronto Star)

The idea of laneway suites could be the first step for the city to provide affordable housing options to those looking to have a place of their own, even if it is a rental unit. Utilizing existing structures that are underutilized by their owners such as those that exist in laneways, will provide opportunities for the owners to earn some supplemental income, and enable others to get into a place of their own. As the report continues to go through the approval process, it will be interesting to see the city's take on laneway suites as part of the housing solution compared to that of townhouses and duplexes.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.