Toronto has tons of under-utilized land. Single-family homes sit on major transit corridors in the "yellowbelt," and while zoning reform is finally allowing more units per lot, the permitting process remains painfully slow. Zoning reform might open the door, but it doesn't actually get homes built. That's why the City of Toronto and CMHC are now promoting a national Housing Design Catalogue: pre-reviewed, pre-designed modular and site-built homes (ADUs, townhouses, fourplexes, sixplexes) meant to cut through the permitting backlog. This might be the most underrated development in Toronto housing right now because it creates a shortcut through the bureaucracy that's been blocking small-scale infill development.
The Housing Design Catalogue is a government-backed collection of pre-designed homes with plans optimized for speed and efficiency. The catalogue currently has 7 approved designs for Ontario (small ADUs, townhouses, fourplexes, sixplexes). The design list keeps growing. Here's the key issue it solves: Toronto allows up to 4 units as-of-right, which means you don't need rezoning or special permission if you meet the rules. But you still have to go through the full permitting process: site plan reviews, building code checks, zoning confirmations, and multiple rounds of revisions, which slows things down by months or even years. The catalogue designs are already aligned with building code and reviewed for structural, mechanical, and energy performance, creating a shortcut through the permitting maze. City Council is discussing PH19.4, which would create an official fast-track lane for catalogue-based submissions. Toronto already has a Certified Plans Program (pre-reviewed plans meeting Ontario Building Code, mostly used for tents and portable classrooms), and they're expanding it to include detached houses, laneway and garden suites, townhouses, multiplexes, and integrating CMHC Housing Design Catalogue designs directly into this program. You still need a building permit (but it’s fast, around 2 weeks with standardized designs) and plans may need slight adaptation to fit your lot or Toronto's specific setback laws, but the heavy technical review is already done.
This isn't just for city projects or big developers, it's for regular homeowners and small-scale builders. If you're thinking of adding a laneway or garden suite for rental income, you can pick an ADU design and skip hiring an architect and engineer, saving time and money. If you own a small lot with a rundown home and want to replace it with a multiplex, this catalogue could be the difference between breaking ground in a few months versus getting stuck in review limbo for years. Zoning reform was step one, but if Toronto really wants to unlock more housing, we need to fix the permitting process, and this is a big step in that direction. It's like ordering from a menu instead of writing your own recipe: less back-and-forth, fewer delays, way more consistency.
This is huge, and way more people should be talking about it. Toronto finally opened the door with as-of-right zoning for fourplexes, but the permitting process has been the chokepoint keeping that door mostly closed. The Housing Design Catalogue fixes that by doing the heavy technical review upfront. Yes, you still need a building permit, and yes, plans might need minor tweaks for your specific lot, but we're talking weeks (hopefully) instead of years. The fact that City Council is integrating CMHC designs into Toronto's Certified Plans Program and creating a fast-track lane shows they actually get it for once. This isn't a magic bullet. Some people hear "modular" and think portable classroom, but these are real homes that still need foundations, utility hookups, and on-site assembly. And not every design will fit every Toronto lot given our specific setback and lot coverage rules. But even with all that, starting with a pre-reviewed design saves so much time, money, and frustration. If you're thinking about building a multiplex, laneway suite, or just want to see what's possible on your lot, check out the catalogue. This might actually be the future of small-scale housing in Toronto.
