Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) is a City of Toronto initiative intended to facilitate the construction of more low-rise housing in residential neighbourhoods to meet the needs of our growing city. The Beaches-East York Pilot Project, a key component of EHON, is exploring the feasibility of building missing middle-type buildings, ranging from duplexes to low-rise apartments, on selected City-owned sites designated as Neighborhoods in the City’s official plan. Our firm was retained by CreateTO to develop a pilot project aimed at developing feasible missing middle demonstration projects that can serve as models for other sites, beyond City-owned properties, while ensuring a focus on affordability, accessibility, resiliency, and sustainability. City Planning and Environment & Climate staff were part of the team formed to develop this pilot project.
The selected site at 72 Amroth represents the second phase of the pilot project, following the initial typology study we completed. The site, a recently divested property of the Toronto Parking Authority, is currently a parking lot. Its strategic location makes it an ideal candidate for ‘missing middle’ scale development. Situated adjacent to the Danforth, it serves as a transition zone between the higher-density commercial corridor to the north and the existing single-family detached dwellings to the south. Additionally, the site’s unique L-shape allows for the exploration of multiple building types and scales within one site, while its larger size enables the construction of more units compared to the previous typology study.
The design leverages the site’s unique characteristics to create three residential structures: a larger 5-storey building (Building A), a connected 4-storey building directly behind it (Building B), and a smaller 3-storey structure at the rear (Building C). This layout emulates the concept of a main dwelling with a garden suite and reinforces the transition zone approach. The separate structures frame an internal courtyard designed for social interaction and outdoor space, fostering a sense of community among residents. Building A, fronting Amroth Avenue, serves as the main entrance, featuring a lobby, central mail area, and a large interior amenity space connected to the exterior courtyard. Ground floor units in Buildings B and C have direct street access, creating a townhouse-like feel. Additionally, every unit includes a private balcony. The point-block structure layout minimizes corridors, with a single egress serving four units per floor in Building A, two units per floor in Building B, and three units per floor in Building C. Combined, the three buildings contain a total of 30 units, offering a mix of 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments.
The design’s materiality draws inspiration from common materials in Toronto residential neighborhoods, primarily brick and wood, chosen for their tactile quality and human scale. The building’s massing avoids the ‘wedding cake’ effect of multiple setbacks by stepping back only once at the 4th storey. Balconies are strategically recessed to minimize overlooking neighboring yards. Screened balcony guards offer residents privacy without sacrificing views and also provide shading for the glazed patio doors.
The design adheres to Toronto Green Standard Version 4 Tier 3, a key element of the pilot project. With no minimum parking requirements, the elimination of basements significantly reduces construction costs and carbon emissions by avoiding deep concrete foundations. The structure utilizes primarily wood framing, along with a high window-to-wall ratio and extra-insulated exterior walls, to reduce operating energy costs. Moreover, the project will operate entirely without fossil fuels and will incorporate solar panels to offset total energy consumption, moving the project closer to achieving Net Zero energy use. Energy modeling and life cycle assessments for both structures demonstrated that higher-performing options, such as electric heat pumps instead of gas boilers, offset their upfront costs with lower operational energy expenses. This confirms the feasibility of creating highly sustainable buildings at the ‘missing middle’ scale. For more information, see the City of Toronto’s website: Beaches-East York Missing Middle Pilot Project
