This is not a post about laneway housing. Okay, it sort of is. But there's a broader point to discuss. Recently, a local Toronto newspaper ran this article talking about how a bunch of people are upset that their neighbor is building an as-of-right garden suite. Here's an excerpt:

“The members of the community know that they can’t stop the building of this ‘garden suite’. However, they want to change the bylaw to ensure that future ‘garden suites’ can’t be built without community consultation and an environmental assessment,” said a news release from a number of residents in the area that was sent to Toronto media outlets including Beach Metro Community News last week.

This raises some interesting questions.

For one, what would be the purpose of this community consultation? Is it just a "Hey, I'm going to be building a garden suite" and then homeowners go do it exactly how they want anyway? Or, would it be an extensive community engagement process where homeowners would be expected to gather feedback, submit a report to the city, and consider design changes?

And, would this apply to all low-rise housing? In other words, would all homeowners need to consultant their neighbors and do an environmental assessment before pulling a building permit? What if someone just wants to build a small extension or a shed? Or, are we only talking about laneway and garden suites?

I'm not really sure what the exact intentions are here -- besides delaying new housing -- but I can tell you that it's a terrible idea.

Laneway and garden suites should never require community consultation and/or an environmental assessment. I mean, this is the whole point of allowing them as-of-right. It's so you don't have to do these things and you can go straight to a building permit. This is way too small of a housing type to burden with obstacles.

In fact, the same is true of larger housing types. In my opinion, conventional mid-rise buildings should not have to go through a full rezoning and they should not have to consult with the community. We already know what these buildings look like. We know that they make for great homes. And yet they're our most expensive housing type to build.

Removing barriers (and reducing project durations) is a sure-fire way to make them cheaper. Especially in a higher interest rate environment.

This is a powerful perspective:

We evolved to be wary of change. Our attention is limited, new things can be a threat and the status quo feels comfortable.

As a result, we spend a lot of time and energy being afraid (and arguing about) the upcoming changes in our lives, but almost no time at all thinking about the things we’re used to.

As an example of this tension, check out this "exit interview" with Toronto's former chief city planner, Gregg Lintern. The underlying theme is change and why it's desperately needed.

But of course, that's not easy.

The interviewer, Victoria Gibson, mentions this survey stat: nearly half (47%) of all Torontonians think the city is building too little housing, and yet only about a quarter (27%) think their area could handle more.

We need this, but not here. Probably because we're used to the way things are.

But if you read the interview, you'll see that the answer, or at least one answer, is to make the conversation personal, and ultimately think critically about, you know, the things we're used to.

Change starts with not giving the benefit of the doubt to the status quo.

We are getting ready for first occupancies at Junction House and it is exciting to see how many young families -- with children -- are looking forward to moving into the building's larger 2-storey suites. (These are the suites that gave the project its name -- Junction House.)

From the outset, this was always a part of our development thesis. You can't, or at least it's very difficult, to pre-sell an entire building of larger suites in Toronto. But we figured that in a submarket like the Junction, which is very popular with young families, that there had to be some buyers who would want a house-like residence.

Meaning, two floors of living spaces, upstairs bedrooms (better acoustic separation), larger living spaces, and a terrace for BBQing and gardening, among other things.

We are now seeing this play out with the wonderful people coming in for their pre-delivery inspections, and it's a really nice thing to see. Not only as a developer, but as a dedicated urbanite and lover of Toronto. I am not suggesting that it's for everyone. But clearly there is a segment of the market that wants this.

For a list of available homes at Junction House, including floor plans and pricing, click here.