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Since its construction at the turn of the 19th century, the two-storey red-brick building at 225 Brunswick Ave. in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood has served a variety of purposes: first as a Christian Gospel Mission Hall, and later as a synagogue, a venue for the Toronto School of Art, an administrative hub for non-profit organizations — and now, as the home of seven new condominium units.
As pleasing as its renovated circular windows and preserved brickwork may be to the eye, the Brunswick Lofts’ transition from office to multiplex has been a serious headache for Mississauga-based Kopas Developments. “This type of missing-middle housing is something Toronto desperately needs,” says company president Jeff Kopas, referring to homes that fit into the gap between low-rise, primarily single-family homes, and mid- and high-rise apartments and condo buildings. “Unfortunately, it’s the type of project most developers will not touch given the barriers involved. The incredibly challenging six-year process our team went through to get this project approved and built is emblematic of the challenge many developers face when trying to create missing-middle housing in residential neighbourhoods.”
According to Kopas, those ranged from local NIMBYism to municipal garbage collection issues. Still, the company is keen to take on more multiplex condo projects now that permitting and approvals have been streamlined by the City of Toronto’s Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) initiative. Approved by City Council in May 2023, EHON does away with the need for a public hearing or council approval for multiplexes of up to four units. It has also sparked broader conversations about expanding density in Toronto, with some City officials considering the introduction of six-unit multiplexes in certain areas.
Councillor Jamaal Myers of Scarborough North has championed the idea in a pilot program in his ward, pointing out that many residents in his area are already familiar with multi-generational living.
In short, as compact condo projects begin to pop up across Toronto, EHON is starting to have its desired effect.
One such project, located at 319 Mortimer Ave. near Pape Village, has replaced a former bungalow with what its planning and development consultant, Christopher Langley, describes as “the first multiplex with a garden suite in Toronto.”
Developed by Laval, Que.-based HMV Homes, the four-unit condo building consists of a three-bedroom semi-detached home, a two-bedroom townhome, a one-bedroom basement suite and a three-bedroom garden suite in the rear yard. Outdoor amenity areas have been provided for each unit, and one exclusive-use parking space is also offered. As with much larger condo projects, buyers of multiplex units often form condo corporations, share maintenance costs and have responsibilities defined in condo declarations.
Demand for all four units was “out of this world,” says Armen Krikorian, the real-estate broker for 319 Mortimer. “It was clear from the start that this alternative housing model really resonates with people who want the maintenance-free, lock-and-leave condo lifestyle but don’t want the skyscraper.”
At 68 Westholme Ave. in the Junction, another HMV project is in the process of turning a two-storey detached home into a three-storey triplex with a laneway suite. Then there’s 91 Barton Ave., a three-storey, nine-unit building near Christie Pits being developed by GreenStreet Flats and Craig Race Architecture that’s planning to include an affordable rental unit as well as two laneway suites in a secondary building. Another GreenStreet project at 367 Howland Ave. near Casa Loma has turned a single-family home into a fourplex, and given the recent EHON changes has reportedly saved nearly $700,00 in development charges.
Other developers, like Blue Lion Building, have been constructing multiplexes in Toronto for years. These properties are often designed to feel more like luxury houses than apartments, offering buyers more privacy and space — with prices to match. For example, the units in a triplex and laneway suite on Ossington Avenue were sold separately, with the smallest unit going for $750,000, and the largest fetching $1.38 million. HMV’s sold-out Mortimer project, meanwhile, listed its basement suite for $499,900, its semi-detached home for $1,599,900 and its garden suite for $1,299,900.
Yet projects like these remain relatively few and far between across the GTA and Ontario, especially compared to Quebec and British Columbia, where multiplexes are both widespread and hugely popular. “The lack of uptake in Ontario is a bit of a puzzle,” says Richard Joy, executive director of the Toronto branch of the global non-profit Urban Land Institute. “Part of it might have to do with the idea that dividing homes into more units creates more population, and more cars that need to park on the street, and all the sorts of things that are generally disliked by neighbourhood associations. But these factors haven’t caused problems in Quebec and B.C., so again, it’s puzzling.”
One enduring sticking point, Joy says, is affordability. “It’s extremely expensive to do these multiplex conversions, so it’s not really an affordable model. It may work from a neighbourhood design and compatibility perspective, but this is luxury housing, not affordable housing.”
Jeff Kopas, for his part, says he didn’t set out to make the Brunswick Lofts “full luxury.” Ranging from 994 to 1,557 square feet, all seven units come with Miele appliances, gas cooktops, smart home tech, designer finishes and their own dedicated entrances and outdoor spaces.
Rather, he says, the project’s price tags, some of which top $2 million, reflect the challenges of turning a historic former church into a multiplex condo building. “Going upscale ended up being the way we had to go, but that shouldn’t always be the case. These types of conversions should be more widely available, and there needs to be a way to develop them that’s more cost-effective and therefore makes them more affordable.”