Amid calls for more study, council approves new city-wide rules to boost density

Taller buildings on streets across London will become the new reality of a fast-growing city after municipal council approved a swath of new planning rules aimed at addressing the housing crisis. 

The changes to the London Plan — the city's guiding planning document — were approved after four hours of discussion at Tuesday's council meeting. 

The changes are extensive, but most controversial was a change to allow four-storey stacked townhouses on streets with the "neighbourhood connector" designation. 

Many Londoners submitted letters opposing that alteration to the plan, concerned it will bring too much change, too quickly, to established neighbourhoods filled mainly with single-family homes. 

Mayor Josh Morgan however, said stacked townhomes are an ideal building form to help address a housing crisis that has pushed the price of homes well beyond reach for many.  

"If we want to talk about housing affordability, we have to be talking about stacked town[houses] in this city," said Morgan. "Other cities have them. They're a really affordable form of housing. Let's move forward with more light density options in our city." 

Stacked townhouses are attached dwellings but instead of a row of single-family homes, there are two units stacked on top of one another vertically. 

They're seen as an efficient way to add density and housing units to streets where highrise developments — generally classified as anything over eight storeys — aren't economically viable. 

Such developments are already allowed in London's core, but the changes approved Tuesday by council will allow them on streets that run between streets with higher traffic volumes. You can see a map of the streets here. Many are streets that currently only feature single-family homes, a building form Morgan said won't deliver what London needs to absorb its rapid growth. 

Some councillors argued the changes were too fast too soon. Some said residents were confused by the planning jargon sent in mailouts that explained the decision. 

Coun. Corrine Rahman put forward a motion that would limit the townhome developments to central London. It also would have required more public consultation.

"It's so that people can provide their thoughts and opinions on having these stacked townhouses on those neighbourhood connectors everywhere," she said. 

The amendment failed by a 6-8 vote. 

Coun. Sam Trosow said he's not convinced stacked townhomes will be affordable for Londoners with modest incomes. He also said more study was needed.

"I'm worried they will be bought by investors who will turn them into Airbnbs," he said. 

The changes approved Tuesday will also clear the way for height increases in the following zoning "place types" which are planning designations that dictate how certain blocks of land can be used.

Also, two new "transit villages" were approved that will allow towers at Richmond and Oxford Streets and on Dundas Street East at Kellogg Lane. The maximum heights for transit villages were 22 storeys, but will now go up to 30 storeys.

Also approved is a new designation for major shopping centres, to allow large towers on those properties.

The maximum allowable height for downtown buildings jumps to 45 storeys, up from 35. Although council has approved buildings beyond those maximums, as they did with York Development's towers at the corner of King and Ridout Streets. 

The push for new housing  is part of a city plan to build 47,000 new homes by 2031. London became the first city in Canada to tap into a federal housing fund, in part by moving ahead with changes to zoning rules intended to clear the way for new housing. London's share of the $4 billion plan is $74 million.

Ahead of Tuesday's vote, Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said senior governments are paying attention to changes London is making. 

"I had a text from the federal housing minister's office asking what time we will be dealing with this agenda item today because they'll be watching," he said. Lewis said he had a similar request from the provincial housing officials.

If they're approved by the province, the changes to the London Plan are expected to take effect next spring.