Toronto’s framework for neighbourhood housing is being fundamentally reshaped, what Modcity strongly believes is for the better. through new as-of-right sixplex zoning bylaws approved by City Council on June 26,2025.

For technical readers, City Council adopted Official Plan Amendment 818 and passed Zoning Bylaw 654-2025, permitting sixplexes in eight Toronto wards:

• Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park
• Ward 9, Davenport
• Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York
• Ward 11, University-Rosedale
• Ward 12, Toronto-St. Paul’s
• Ward 13, Toronto Centre
• Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth
• Ward 19, Beaches-East York

Plus Ward 23, Scarborough North, which was the first ward togrant such permissions, thanks to Councillor Myers’ bold initiative in advancing housing policy in our city.

For homeowners: if you live within the Toronto and East York Community Council wards, or in Scarborough North, you can now likely build a sixplex on your property.

This policy builds on earlier moves to legalize multiplex housing, most notably fourplexes as-of-right in May 2023, advancing the idea of gentle density in neighbourhoods. These changes fall under the EHON (ExpandingHousing Options in Neighbourhoods) initiative, launched to create more diverse, affordable, and sustainable housing.

On July 24, 2025, City Council also adopted a motion from Mayor Olivia Chow exempting all sixplex units from development charges andparkland dedications, a breath of fresh air.

Modcity’s Take: Sixplex Development

Proformas: More units don’t always mean moreprofit. Six one-bedrooms, with higher per-square-foot build costs, are financially inferior to four 3-bedroom, family-sized units in a fourplex. Modcity’s sixplex design ensures all units on a 25-foot lot are at least 2-bedrooms, with the number of 3-bedrooms depending on lot depth. On 130-foot lots or deeper, all six units could be 3-bedrooms, plus a 3-bedroom laneway or garden suite in the rear.

Financing Feasibility: With stronger proformas, financing improves. CMHC’s MLI Select program is critical for missing middle developers, allowing refinancing into below-market loans with 40–50 year amortizations and no income backing. Sixplexes typically support larger takeouts, and lenders are more inclined to extend bigger construction loans compared to fourplexes.

Relief From DCs and Parkland Fees: Mayor Chow’s exemptions save developers hundreds of thousands per project. For example, a sixplex with a laneway house, all 3-bedrooms, would otherwise face $315,000 in DCs ($45,000 per unit) plus $100,000 in parkland fees on a $1.0M lot, $415,000 in total.

Committee of Adjustment: Modcity has always gone to the committee for our fourplexes, and we’ll continue to do so for sixplexes. Despite being as-of-right, we recommend seeking larger envelopes. Most lots in Toronto & East York are 25 feet wide (or less) and zoned 10.5–11.0m in height, which is restrictive for modern design standards like 9-foot ceilings. Multiplexes compete with condos, and building narrow, low-ceiling “bowling alleys” isn’t viable. Saving three months by avoiding a hearing often results in a worse product, hardly worth it when investing over a million dollars.

Zoning Flaws in Joint Sixplexes: Modcity currently has seven semi-detached fourplexes in its portfolio. Severances pencil better and are considered flagship projects. Until June 2025, semi-detached fourplexes were misclassified as 8-unit apartments, even on separate lots. On our triple fourplex (rowplex) at Bloor and Ossington, we were treated as a 12-unit apartment and required Site Plan Approval (SPA). The bylaw has since introduced the “Houseplex” category, resolving this issue, but capped at four units. Joint sixplexes may again be misinterpreted as apartments, potentially triggering SPA. Careful planning will be critical.

There’s much more to say, but we’ll pause here.

Overall, we warmly welcome the new sixplex bylaws and see them as an incredible opportunity for Toronto’s housing future.