The Laneway Project’s Post

“The city has kind of figured out what’s working and what’s not from an economic standpoint and what developers need, and the feedback,” says broker Mark Goodman, who specializes in apartment building sales. Commercial broker Ian Brackett says lifting the limit will open development opportunities to those who want to sell or redevelop. “It’s actually pretty amazing how many proposals have been submitted already,” says Mr. Brackett. “I think a big part of that is people that are worried about being left out, so they are rushing to get their application in. “The two tower maximum has been a huge limiting factor for a lot of property owners in terms of moving ahead and selling their property or trying to rezone their property. We have had a lot of property owners come to us and we look at it, and there are already two towers being proposed, and so there is essentially nothing for them to do there. So, it’s going to open up a lot more potential redevelopment sites,” says Mr. Brackett. Paywall bypass: https://lnkd.in/g_Y5Ey4f Read Globe and Mail article: https://lnkd.in/gB6APjV8

The UK high street has been in decline for decades due to factors like out-of-town shopping centres and online shopping. In 2021, the government made it easier to convert empty commercial buildings into residential homes without full planning permission to increase footfall and regenerate high streets. While converting vacant commercial properties into residential homes can increase housing supply and foot traffic on struggling UK high streets, critics argue this approach alone lacks a holistic vision. In reality comprehensive strategies involving mixed-use development, improved infrastructure, local planning control, and addressing root causes (like high business costs and online competition) are needed for successful high street regeneration. Read more in our latest blog 👉 https://lnkd.in/eeEQMaRY

The City of Toronto has released a survey associated with the second stage of the EHON Neighbourhood Retail and Services Study, which can be accessed here: https://lnkd.in/gRRD4h_w If you are interested in expanding permissions for non-residential uses in neighbourhoods, including public laneways, please take a few minutes to express your support. In doing so, please encourage City Planning to consider the following: - Increasing maximum height permissions to 20 metres for apartment buildings on Major Streets where ground floor commercial uses are provided; - Clarifying that non-residential uses are permitted within stacked townhouses, back-to-back townhouses and hybrid apartment buildings on Major Streets, as these typologies have been considered and studied, but are not expressly defined in the Zoning By-law; - Expanding the range of potential locations for non-residential uses within Neighbourhoods to include sites adjacent to community services and facilities (beyond schools), such as community recreation centres, libraries and places of worship, and within proximity to commercial main streets (i.e. transition zones); - Expanding the range of non-residential uses that are generally permitted within the interior of Neighbourhoods, and expanding permissions for ancillary buildings beyond those uses defined as home occupations. Such restrictions unnecessarily limit the potential for entrepreneurship, and what uses may be permitted, irrespective of the ability to mitigate their impact on adjacencies; - Clarifying that non-residential uses may occupy the entire ground floor of ancillary buildings; - Relaxing regulations regarding upper storey uses; - Getting out of the business of regulating the number of people who can work in a home occupation, which may impact the viability of small business. It is unnecessarily prescriptive, given the existence of regulations governing the size and dimension of non-residential uses; and, - Getting out of the business of regulating where food is being prepared, and how it is being packaged, in instances where food and beverage services are permitted. This may impact the range of potential business models. It is unnecessarily prescriptive, given the existence of codes, regulations and standards designed to mitigate hazards and nuisances.

Cities: requiring ground-floor retail is a lose-lose for tenants, landlords, and the community. If you don't have immediately accessible parking, and lots of it, or you don't have lots and lots of foot traffic, you are doing nothing but creating a vacant eyesore for the community. I understand you love the idea of people walking to grab their morning coffee, to their yoga studio, or to their hair salon. Trouble is - it just does not work in the vast majority of cases, and a one-size-fits-all approach is fantasy. People are not going to start walking up and down major boulevards because you think they will. Great retailers know better than to take a chance on those terrible spaces, and the naive tenants who do usually do not last long, and lose lots of money in the process. Housing developers do not have retail expertise, and they are building that D product just because you are forcing them to. So you have an inexperienced retail landlord building a poor product that great tenants will never want. I know that rendering looks great with all those people walking around, smiling with their friends, enjoying their morning coffee. Trouble is, that rendering is a fantasy. Just like the idea that this zoning law will create walkable communities.

Relocating London’s City Hall - 1 Solution to 3 problems London has a unique opportunity to help resolve the housing crisis, downtown vacancy, & stretched municipal funds. Namely, by relocating its’ City Hall to 3 fully vacant adjoining buildings, 383-391 Richmond Street and 151 Dundas St. How? See below. 1. Housing crisis: i) 60% of the purchase price is to be paid through credits to development charges (DC charges). a)This means the Seller can only obtain 60% of the payment from the deal if he develops his properties/lands in London. NO DEVELOPMENT = LOSS OF PAYMENT ii) The current city hall can be renovated into apartments and the adjacent lands can house additional Londoners through new multi-family developments 2. Downtown London’s vacancy rate of 27.1% (CBRE Office Figure, Q1 2024): i) Relocating to these building would reduce London’s downtown vacancy rate by occupying ±337,000 SF of vacant office in London’s core 3. Help London’s tax dollars go further: i) The cost savings could be over ±$70 million CAD, when compared to the option of expanding & renovating City Hall's current location ii) Create synergy & reduce cost by locating ±1,000 municipal employee in one location iii) Would facilitate easy access to City Hall, with proximity to public transit iv) Spur business development in the core through city employees utilizing downtown London’s shops, restaurants, businesses, and entertainment, creating additional tax dollars London’s decision of where to locate and develop its City Hall with have ripple effects for generations. Hopefully, all decisions are given equal measure to help the City have a bright and successful future. https://lnkd.in/g5BhEcsb #ldnontario #ldnont

https://lnkd.in/dQ9by-Fg 🏠 New Licensing Requirements for Multi-Tenant Houses in Toronto As of March 31, 2024, Toronto has introduced essential updates to the regulatory framework for multi-tenant houses, commonly known as rooming houses. This change aims to improve management and safety, affecting both operators and tenants. A multi-tenant house in Toronto is where four or more rooms are rented out individually. Tenants have private bedrooms but share facilities like kitchens and bathrooms, different from traditional rental units. What’s New? Enhanced Safety Measures: The new regulations require operators to meet stringent safety standards, ensuring better living conditions for tenants. Clear Responsibilities: Operators now have clearly defined duties to maintain properties and protect tenant rights. Our comprehensive guide details these changes, helping operators understand their new responsibilities and ensuring tenants receive the necessary protections and services. Stay informed and compliant with these new standards to enhance your property's value and tenant satisfaction. 🔗 For more details, visit our website at www.roomdb.ca or contact us at info@roomdb.ca #RoomDesignBuild #TorontoRealEstate #HousingRegulation #PropertyManagement #RealEstateToronto #MultiTenantHousing

https://lnkd.in/d8csb3E8 🏠 New Licensing Requirements for Multi-Tenant Houses in Toronto As of March 31, 2024, Toronto has introduced essential updates to the regulatory framework for multi-tenant houses, commonly known as rooming houses. This change aims to improve management and safety, affecting both operators and tenants. A multi-tenant house in Toronto is where four or more rooms are rented out individually. Tenants have private bedrooms but share facilities like kitchens and bathrooms, different from traditional rental units. What’s New? Enhanced Safety Measures: The new regulations require operators to meet stringent safety standards, ensuring better living conditions for tenants. Clear Responsibilities: Operators now have clearly defined duties to maintain properties and protect tenant rights. Our comprehensive guide details these changes, helping operators understand their new responsibilities and ensuring tenants receive the necessary protections and services. Stay informed and compliant with these new standards to enhance your property's value and tenant satisfaction. 🔗 For more details, visit our website at www.roomdb.ca or contact us at info@roomdb.ca #RoomDesignBuild #TorontoRealEstate #HousingRegulation #PropertyManagement #RealEstateToronto #MultiTenantHousing

📺 The proposed "Major Streets" policy for Toronto, presented to the Planning and Housing Committee, was approved. ✅ This new policy will allow the construction of residential buildings up to 6 storeys high or 60 units on properties designated as "Neighbourhoods" along major streets. 🚲 🚗 🚶♀️ This change addresses Toronto's housing crisis by diversifying housing types in areas previously protected from such developments. The proposal also includes setbacks for property lines and permits small-scale retail establishments to serve local needs. 👷♂️ 👷♀️ Proponents argue that well-designed, denser developments can enhance livability, support local businesses, and provide better access to amenities. The policy seeks to correct inconsistent development standards across different street designations in Toronto, where some streets have been limited to low-rise buildings despite their potential for higher density. 🏢 🏬 🏦 By embracing this policy, Toronto aims to foster a city that reflects its values of diversity, inclusion, and equity while expanding housing options for people of varying income levels. This move is seen as a crucial step towards addressing artificial land scarcity and creating a more accessible and vibrant urban environment. 🌿 #TorontoUrbanDevelopment #HousingDiversity #CityLivability #InclusiveCityPlanning #AccessibleHousing

Why are so many elected officials afraid to let business owners make their own decisions about how much parking they need to be successful? On Monday the Newton City Council came thisclose to killing a proposed zoning change that would allow business incubators, maker spaces, and places of amusement to open by-right in the city’s village centers without the onerous parking mandates that can make opening a business in Newton frustrating, expensive and sometimes impossible. “We need to protect the villages, not so much the businesses,” said Councilor Tarik Lucas, who seemed to momentarily forget that businesses are the lifeblood of our villages. The parking mandate debate isn’t new, or limited to Newton. Mandate-supporting councilors professed Monday that they want to help small businesses. But their actions suggest they believe they know what business owners need more than owners do. The fact is businesses aren’t going to sign a lease if the property doesn’t have the parking it needs for its employees and customers. Developers won’t build projects that don’t have the parking needed to be leased. Investors aren’t going to underwrite developments they don’t believe can be successful. And not every business has the same parking needs. So what makes a handful of bureaucrats think they know better? “I don’t think we ought to be in the business of requiring businesses to build parking, or requiring businesses to have parking,” said Councilor Josh Krintzman, who has long advocated for eliminating parking minimums. “Let's see if we can make it easier for businesses to open up, especially in our village centers where this is really a hurdle that causes significant frustration and delays for many of our small businesses to open,” added Councilor Martha Bixby who also supported the change. Krintzman, Bixby and a few of their colleagues aside, the zoning change didn’t have the 16 votes needed to pass. Sensing that, Councilor Susan Albright used a parliamentary move to delay a final vote until Aug. 12, buying some time to hopefully change a few of her colleague’s minds. https://lnkd.in/egT_5SuK

My Article On How Cities Need to Get Smart About Real Estate This marketing map for a commercial site in Bothell, outside of Seattle, shows the garden-variety sprawl so typical of America today. Now imagine trying to make this place, with its 400-foot-deep parking lots, into some place walkable and even livable. It's a formidable challenge, and yet that city is trying to use statistics and wordy policies to take on one of the toughest challenges in real estate. Some of the key findings from my article on what cities need to do if they want to make real change: 1. Before embarking on expensive new planning efforts, cities should first ask why their old plans failed to deliver. 2. Take a deep dive into exactly where and how to make change, talking with developers and owners about what sites are ripe for redevelopment. 3. Figure out where the market isn't working. In Washington State, problems with the condo law keep developers from building what should be an eagerly-sought after for-sale product. In the absence of a robust homebuilder industry, cities themselves may need to lobby for change.