Earlier this month the City of Toronto (City) adopted Official Plan Amendment No. 524 (OPA 524) delineating 16 Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSAs) within Toronto’s downtown.
BACKGROUND – WHAT ARE PMTSAS?
PMTSAs are a tool provided to municipalities under the Planning Act to identify and plan for increased growth in areas surrounding existing or planned higher order transit stations or stops, including subway, LRT, and GO train stations.
When establishing one or more PMTSAs a municipality, such as the City of Toronto, must also adopt policies that:
(a) identify the minimum number of residents and jobs, collectively, per hectare that are planned to be accommodated within the PMTSA;
(b) identify the authorized uses of land, buildings, or structures in the PMTSA; and
(c) identify the minimum densities that are authorized with in the area.
PMTSAs are a subset of the Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) that are defined within A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (the Growth Plan). MTSAs, as defined in the Growth Plan, are the areas generally within a 500 to 800 metre radius of an existing or planned higher order transit station or stop.
Where a PMTSA is identified, inclusionary zoning policies may be implemented by a municipality. The City adopted OPA 557 and zoning by-law amendment no. 941-2021 (ZBA 941-2021) to impose inclusionary zoning within its PMTSAs. The adoption of OPA 524 represents the next step to implementing inclusionary zoning.
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