From Laneway Suites to Sixplexes — What EHON Means for the Market

In this episode of Helping YOU Build Wealth Through Real Estate…Brick by Brick, Nico James-Bock breaks down Toronto’s Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) initiative and what it means for the housing crisis, supply, and investors.

What You’ll Learn:
• What the EHON program is and how it reimagines zoning in Toronto.
• How laneway suites, duplexes, multiplexes and missing middle housing can add real housing supply.
• The regulatory realities slowing build-out and why uptake capacity matters.
• The difference between increasing housing choice and guaranteeing affordability.
• Strategic insights for brokers, developers and housing advocates.

Listen to understand how zoning reform, missing middle housing and city planning policy intersect with real market outcomes in Toronto’s housing landscape.

Resources:
City of Toronto EHON page

City planning reports on multiplex and laneway suites (PDF)

Federal Housing Design Catalogue

Ciao Ciao 👋🏼

Transcript

Ciao! What if the biggest housing opportunity in Toronto isn’t a condo tower, but your neighbour’s backyard? Welcome to Helping YOU Build Wealth Through Real Estate… Brick by Brick. I’m Nico James-Bock, Founder of The CondoWiz™ Group and Broker at Keller Williams in Toronto, and today we’re unpacking EHON, from laneway suites to sixplexes, and why this matters right now.

Quick note before we dive in, when I say EHON, I’m pronouncing it “ee-hon,” short for Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods.

EHON is a City of Toronto planning initiative designed to loosen decades of restrictive zoning in low-rise neighbourhoods. For a long time, many areas of the city only allowed single-family homes, effectively locking out other housing types. EHON changes that by allowing a wider range of options like laneway and garden suites, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and missing-middle housing along major streets, with pilot moves toward five- and sixplex buildings. The idea here isn’t towers. It’s smaller-scale, gentle density that fits into existing neighbourhoods.

And that’s important because Toronto’s housing stock has been polarized for years. On one end, you have high-rise condos. On the other, single-family homes. What’s missing is the middle, housing like duplexes, triplexes, townhomes and small walk-up buildings. These forms tend to be more family-friendly and often more attainable than condos, while still being far more efficient than detached homes. EHON is really about unlocking this missing middle, housing that was historically illegal to build in many parts of the city.

One of the biggest opportunities with EHON is supply. This program could meaningfully add housing units without relying on major towers or massive new developments. City research estimates that more than 160,000 potential new units could be created by 2051 simply by enabling laneway suites, garden suites, multiplexes and housing along major streets. That’s real supply being added on land that’s already serviced, near schools, transit and jobs, without the need for expensive new infrastructure.

The key takeaway here is that incremental, ground-oriented density can scale housing supply exactly where people already want to live.

Now, here’s where reality sets in. Yes, the rules have changed, but uptake has been slower than many hoped. Garden suites, for example, have been legal for a few years now, yet relatively few have actually been built. Costs, approval timelines and construction barriers have all played a role. This tells us something important. Zoning reform is necessary, but it’s not sufficient on its own to build at scale.

If we want real supply growth, policy has to connect to actual construction. That means predictable, time-certain approvals, pre-approved building typologies, and enough financial certainty for homeowners and builders to move forward with confidence.

Another important point is affordability. EHON increases housing choice, but it does not guarantee affordability. Adding more units can ease pressure in tight markets and offer a broader range of housing types. But land values in Toronto, regulatory costs, and capital chasing limited product can still push prices higher. Without complementary affordability measures like inclusionary zoning, incentives, or non-profit development, many missing-middle units will still trade at market prices.

So the takeaway here is that EHON reshapes supply potential, but it doesn’t directly control price. It’s a supply enabler, not an affordability guarantee.

There are also challenges and critics worth acknowledging. Slow uptake on suites and small multiplexes suggests that policy changes alone won’t solve the problem. Some argue that even widespread missing-middle housing won’t meet demand quickly enough. And major street policies and broader zoning reforms still face legal hurdles and appeals before full implementation.

What this really shows is that effective housing reform requires alignment. Policy, process reform and developer confidence all need to move together.

So let’s wrap this up. EHON is reshaping zoning in Toronto to unlock missing-middle housing. It has the potential to add tens of thousands of new homes over time. But uptake, execution and affordability remain the real-world challenges that will determine whether it succeeds.

EHON ultimately reminds us that the future of housing in Toronto isn’t just about building higher. It’s about building smarter and more human at the street level. When duplexes, fourplexes and sixplexes are woven thoughtfully into neighbourhoods, they stop being density and start becoming opportunity, for families to stay, for investors to add value, and for the city to grow without losing its soul.

If you found this helpful, like the episode, leave a comment with your take, and share it with your network. Let’s keep pushing the conversation on real, scalable housing solutions in Toronto.

Nico

TheCondoWiz@gmail.com