Ontario’s Housing Minister says that the province has approved a plan to allow high and dense buildings near transit stations for Toronto.
Rob Flack says that the change in Toronto’s official plan will allow 1.5 million more houses across the city over the next 25 years.
He says that having more people living near transit will also help in reducing gridlock pressure on the streets of the city.
Mayor Olivia Chow says that the former mayor had presented a similar plan for the province five years ago, which allowed only for more than 500,000 homes, and these changes will now facilitate that amount three times.
Chow says that the schemes will still be subject to the approval of the city council.
The scheme will increase density and maximum heights near 120 transit stations across the city, and the province says it will continue to work with Toronto on plans for 14 other transit station areas.
The announcement comes when the province falls behind the speed of residential construction to hit its goal of construction of 1.5 million houses across the province by 2031, which featured only 94,753 last year, including long-term care beds, retirement home suits and post-secondary student housing beds.