TORONTO — After news of the approval of 120 major transit station areas across Toronto in August, the city is now taking steps to quickly advance implementation in the hopes of increasing housing and contribute to the provincial target of 285,000 new homes in the city by 2031.
Recently, Mayor Olivia Chow was joined by staff to provide an overview of the policies as well as next steps for 25 Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) and 95 Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSAs), which were approved by the minister of municipal affairs and housing on Aug. 15.
MTSAs generally represent a 10-minute walking radius around an existing or planned higher order transit station, a release reads, and must meet provincially mandated minimum density targets for number of residents and jobs per hectare.
PMTSAs require minimum development density for buildings and structures. These areas also allow municipalities to implement inclusionary zoning, which requires affordable housing in new residential developments.
On Sept. 25 a workplan for the implementation of MTSA and PMTSA policies, including updating the city’s zoning bylaws, will be presented to the Planning and Housing Committee.
It includes a strategy to move quickly on developing the implementing zoning for Toronto City Council’s consideration by late spring or early summer of 2026.
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The MTSA and PMTSA zoning implementation is one of eight initiatives approved by city council under the federal Housing Accelerator Fund through which the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has committed $471.1 million in funding to support the city’s housing targets, the release adds.
