It’s only been a year since Toronto finally approved “as-of-right” zoning for laneway housing. But there have already been 100 inquiries — and as similar zoning is extended to the suburbs, as many as 47,000 sites may be eligible for new builds.He has a stake in the game, of course. His company R-Hauz develops custom builds for urban properties.
“The more the city can do to increase housing options, the better we will all be,” says Gregg Lintern, chief planner and executive director of city planning for Toronto. R-Hauz offers four pre-manufactured models designed by local architects including Elevation Architects, superkül, and Farrow Partners. The systems are built off site and assembled on site in less than a month. Each design can be customized to suit individual needs within the structural framework, Moore says. “You can choose the layout and the architectural expression.”
Whatever the budget, the beauty of laneway housing is the flexibility. “A lot of clients build these for loved ones, especially for children going to university or people aging in place. Snowbirds could move in and rent the main house,” Race says. “One client has a son in a wheelchair who had difficulties navigating in the house. Now he can live in an accessible unit in the back yard and wheel over to the main house to visit the family.