garden suite toronto

Neighbours decidedly not fans of monster garden suite going up in Toronto backyard

As the City of Toronto continues to explore new ways to increase drastically-needed housing supply, some recent bylaw amendments are causing headaches for locals who don't agree with the direction their neighbours are taking the new rules.

While some residents have fought against monster home builds not congruent with the size and aesthetic of others on the block, or lot splitting that puts new homes uncomfortably close to existing neighbours, many are also taking issue with newly-permitted garden suites and laneway houses.

In one recent example, members of the Annex community are finding a new structure going up on their neighbour's property to be a massive eyesore that is eclipsing their view, encroaching on fencelines and potentially pulling adjacent property values down.

"What is the city thinking?" one person asked in a post about the garden suite on hyperlocal social media app Nextdoor.

"You can see my neighbour's deck and another neighbour's garage in very close proximity... We're concerned about the loss of privacy, noise and loss of value to our properties. I know the city wants more affordable housing [and] I'm all for that, but don't penalize the neighbours!"

garden suite toronto

The backyard views of neighbours will certainly be a lot different once the garden suite is complete.

The individual also made the very valid point that a residence of this size in the desired and exorbitantly-priced Annex is very unlikely to be affordable, and will end up being a huge profit-booster for the homeowner without helping to ease the housing crisis in the slightest.

While some on the platform appear to agree with the poster and are calling this scale of construction disrespectful to the neighbourhood, others assert that if the project has a permit and has progressed this far, it is probably legal.

"Laneway homes are legal and popping up all over," one person wrote. "And yes they are building them in the backyard, that's the spot where they supposed to be."

"This is allowed. I live in a condo so it doesn't concern me but I've had friends in this situation as well," another said. "They applied, it was on their land, it's all about property lines."

Still, it seems quite a few people in the comments section are facing a similar predicament in their own area as the laneway home trend burgeons, but some seem more hopeful than others that the housing style will bring solutions, too.

As one person wrote, "This is just the tip of what is to come with increased lot densities now allowed in single family neighborhoods. It's part of the evolution, although the outcomes are not beneficial to all, that is for sure."

Photos by

A Nextdoor user who prefers to remain nameless for privacy reasons


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