Can more townhouses and apartments address Toronto's housing crisis?

A plan to allow townhouses and small apartment buildings up to six storeys on major streets across Toronto has been approved by a city committee, but concerns are being raised about its viability as a tool to address the housing crisis.

Toronto's planning and housing committee approved the proposal Thursday, which would loosen restrictive zoning bylaws that prevent townhouses and small apartment buildings in many parts of the city.

The plan has been in the works for years and could see buildings with up to 30 units built on many new major streets. 

But Coun. Brad Bradford, the vice chair of the committee, wants city staff to do more work on the proposal before it heads to council later this month.

A feasibility study warns that even if the city loosens the zoning restrictions, a 30-unit cap on the projects will make them financially unviable in places like Scarborough.

"We need to stop bringing stuff forward that doesn't work," Bradford said.

"We need to abandon the radical incrementalism that has governed planning in this city for the past two or three decades and move forward with solutions that can be delivered by anybody who wants to build housing."

The committee agreed with Bradford, supporting his motion to report back to council on increasing the cap to 60 units and doing away with other restrictive parts of the plan. 

"I just think we need to be doing everything that we can to not just approve projects on paper, but make sure we're providing a pathway for people to actually get shovels in the ground and build the housing or housing that we need," Bradford said.

"So, I don't want to be voting for something that we know coming out of the gate is probably not going to work."

Some councillors and neighbourhood associations told the committee they oppose the plan, saying there hasn't been enough consultation and that the city is moving too fast.

They say some streets considered "major" in the staff report don't qualify and aren't served by transit. A move to cut some streets from the plan was voted down by the committee. 

"You know, people call them NIMBYs," Coun. Stephen Holyday said of people who oppose the plan.

"I call them residents. I call them constituents. If the committee doesn't accept those words, maybe electors or ratepayers? I think they have a say, I think their say is actually very, very important."