Designing efficient multi-unit housing design Toronto projects on infill properties requires balancing tight city site conditions with high financial performance. For this Gladys Road project in North York, we redeveloped a standard residential lot into a fourplex layout accompanied by an accessory detached garden suite at the rear.
The primary client driver was qualifying for CMHC MLI Select financing, which required specific commitments to energy efficiency and accessible urban density. To optimize the internal layout, the building uses a flat roof profile to maximize interior volume without exceeding local height allowances. Inside, the wall construction, floor plates, and utility runs were planned with future conversion in mind: the structural layout easily adapts from 4 units to 8 units as rental demand shifts and city allows.
Navigating municipal compliance formed a major part of our pre-design, design development, and building permit phases. Toronto’s garden suite guidelines impose strict fire department access constraints between the primary structure and the accessory dwelling at the back. We designed the site pathway according to Option 2 of the City of Toronto’s Fire Department Access guide, securing clear travel paths, fire separation distances, and egress requirements under the Ontario Building Code without sacrificing usable outdoor space.
By leading full consultant coordination, from structural and mechanical engineering to urban forestry clearances, through detailed BIM modeling, we delivered an adaptable multi-unit housing design Toronto solution tailored to the city’s evolving housing policies.
To see more of our multi-family projects across the GTA, explore our complete portfolio of multiplex in North York developments.
