Application Support Material: Terms of Reference

For upcoming changes to the application support material see Terms of Reference: Upcoming Changes. New Terms of Reference for the Conceptual Servicing Plan, Site Servicing Plan, Conceptual Grading Plan, and an updated Site Grading Plan will come into effect on December 1, 2024.

To ensure the interests of the City are met and to adequately assess the technical aspects of your proposal, the City requires submission of a number of information items with your application. This page provides definitions and detailed descriptions of the plans, reports and studies the City may require in order to assess development proposals and the completeness of development applications.

Please note that not all of these requirements will apply to your proposal and that the level of detail required for these reports and studies varies widely. Your pre-application consultation meeting will determine the requirement for, and scope of, any plans, reports and studies that must be provided with your initial submission to consider your application complete.

Terms of Reference are being prepared for the following reports/studies. In the interim, the requirements and details of these plans/reports/studies, should you need one, can be addressed during your pre-application consultation meeting.

1:50 Scale Detailed Colour Building Elevations (required for developments 5 storeys or higher)

Effective June 5, 2024

A sample board of select exterior materials may be requested during development review.

Scale

General Details

Accessibility Design Standards Checklist

Terms of Reference are being prepared for this study. In the interim, the requirements and details of this study should you need one can be addressed during your pre-application consultation meeting.

Aeronautical Report

Effective September 12, 2024

Description

In 2017, Toronto City Council enacted By-law 1432-2017, regulating the use of lands in the vicinity of St. Michael’s Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children.

On January 26, 2024 the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued O.Reg.10/24, a Zoning Order for the Protection of Public Health and Safety – Toronto Hospital Heliports.

Both instruments ensure safe operations of aircraft and air ambulance services to and from St. Michael’s Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children by imposing restrictions on the heights of buildings, structures, and naturally growing objects so that they do not intrude into the flight paths.

Other federal airport zoning regulations are in place to regulate development to protect flight paths in relation to airports, including Toronto Pearson Airport and Billy Bishop Airport.

When Required

An Aeronautical Report will be required for any proposed development on sites located within the St. Michael’s Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto Pearson Airport, and Billy Bishop Airport flight paths for the following application types:

Where it can be ascertained that the proposed height of a development will not pierce the surface limits of the relevant flight path without an Aeronautical Report, this requirement may be waived at the sole discretion of the City.

Required Contents

For proposed developments within the above-described hospital helicopter flight paths, the Aeronautical Report should demonstrate compliance with By-law 1432-2017 and Minister’s Zoning Order O.Reg. 10/24. Visit City’s Applications for Development within the Hospital Helicopter Flightpath for more information.

For proposed developments within Toronto Pearson, Billy Bishop Airport, or any other flight path, if any, the Aeronautical Report should demonstrate compliance with the applicable federal airport zoning regulations.

Note: Terms of Reference are being prepared for this report. In the interim, the requirements and details of this report, should you need one, can be addressed during your pre-application consultation meeting or upon request.

Air Quality and Odour Study

Effective January 9, 2023

Description

An Air Quality and Odour Study is a technical report that provides a written description of the impact of air emissions, including odour and dust, by the surrounding environment on the proposed development as well as mitigation measures to reduce any negative impacts.

  1. Provides a written description of the impact of air emissions from the surrounding environment on the proposed development.
  2. Provides details of all measures proposed to mitigate or reduce the anticipated negative air emission impacts.

This Air Quality and Odour Study is to be prepared, on behalf of the applicant, by a consultant that is either an Air Quality expert or a qualified Professional Engineer.

When Required

If the development includes a sensitive land use, the proximity of the sensitive land use to any industrial land use should be evaluated. Proximity to industrial land uses should be assessed based on the principle of potential influence areas outlined in the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) Guideline D-6 “Compatibility between Industrial Land Uses” (the Guideline). The Guideline provides a classification system for industrial facilities, from Class I (facilities with the lowest potential for emissions) to Class III (facilities with the highest potential for emissions).

Nearby industrial land uses (within 1000 metres of the proposed development) should be classified according to this classification system and listed in the Air Quality and Odour Study Study. If the separation distance for one or more nearby industrial land uses is lower than the potential influence distance in the Guideline (70, 300, and 1000 metres for Class I, II, and III industrial uses respectively), then further assessment is required. Note that separation distance should be evaluated from property line to property line unless ancillary land uses or mandatory setback distances are present, in which case these may be included in the separation distances.

If further assessment is required due to the proximity of industrial land uses, the consultant shall obtain a copy of any Environmental Compliance Approvals (“ECAs” – previously known as Certificates of Approval) issued to the subject industrial facilities.

If these ECAs include an air emission component, the consultant shall obtain a copy of the emission summary table from each of the industrial facilities. These emission summary tables should be examined to evaluate the presence of common contaminants emitted by nearby industrial facilities. If the combined facility ground-level concentrations of any particular compound exceeds 100% of the MOECC limit for that compound, further analysis with respect to that contaminant may be required to assess cumulative impacts from multiple facilities. This analysis could include dispersion modelling or long-term air sampling and monitoring in advance of application approval. The applicant should submit a proposed monitoring plan for the City’s approval, and finalize the plan in consultation with the City. The applicant should not commence monitoring until the City has approved the monitoring plan.

If the nearby industrial facilities have operations that emit odours, as determined by the character of the operations or the presence of odour assessment in the ECA, a community odour survey in the vicinity of the proposed development is required. The applicant should submit a proposed community odour survey plan for the City’s approval, and finalize the plan in consultation with the City. The applicant should not commence the community odour survey until the City has approved the plan.

Additionally, if nearby facilities have significant levels of particulate matter emissions, or a fugitive dust management plan is a condition in the ECA, or the industrial land use contains unpaved roads or outdoor storage piles, a dust monitoring program may be required as part of the Air Quality and Odour Study. Official Plan Section 2.2.4 (Policy 5) requires that development adjacent to or nearby Employment Areas should be appropriately designed, buffered and/or separated from industries as necessary to mitigate adverse effects including those from dust, odour, and air emissions so as to promote safety and security.

An Air Quality and Odour Study may be required for the following planning application types:

Rationale

Official Plan Section 2.2.4 (Policy 5) requires that development adjacent to or nearby Employment Areas should be appropriately designed, buffered, and/or separated from industries as necessary to mitigate adverse effects including those from air emissions, odour, and dust to promote safety and security.

Official Plan Section 3.4 (Policy 21) requires major facilities such as airports, transportation/rail infrastructure, corridors and yards, waste management facilities and industries adjacent to sensitive land uses such as residences, educational and health facilities to appropriately design, buffer, and/or separate the facilities and uses from each other to prevent adverse effects from air emissions.

To assist in identifying potential impacts and mitigative measures, the applicant may be required to prepare an Air Quality and Odour Study in accordance with guidelines established for this purpose. The proponent will be responsible for implementing any required mitigative measures.

In addition to sensitive land uses, the Official Plan in Section 4.6 policies 6 and 7 deals with mitigation of the effects of air emissions among other things in order to create competitive, attractive, highly functional Employment Areas.

Required Contents

During Pre-Application Consultation, City Planning staff will work with the applicant’s consultant to determine if such a Study is required and, if so, the specific requirements of the Study, based on the nature of the proposed application and the context of the study area.

The Study should include, but is not necessarily limited to:

Note: The City of Toronto may wish to hire an outside consultant, at the expense of the applicant, to peer review selected technical reports submitted in support of a development application where there is no in-house expertise available).

Arborist Report

Effective May 31, 2023

Purpose/Description

The Arborist Report is a technical document that provides detailed information, including the location, species, size and condition, of individual trees and associated significant vegetation (i.e. shrubs) on private and public lands (such as the boulevards and parks) that may be affected by a proposed development. The Arborist Report assesses all proposed tree and vegetation impacts and identifies tree care methodology along with any specific treatment details to protect and preserve trees before, during and after construction.

A certified arborist professional is required to prepare the report. A certified arborist professional generally includes:

When Required

An Arborist Report will be required for the following planning application types where the property contains existing regulated trees and/or regulated trees are located within six metres of all property lines (or all trees within 12 m from all proposed disturbance areas for sites regulated by the Ravine and Natural Feature Protection By-law, Municipal Code Chapter 658). Through the Mandatory Pre-Application Consultation, Urban Forestry staff will determine if such a report is required. The planning application types are:

Rationale

The Arborist Report aides the development of a Tree Preservation Plan which is required to be submitted concurrently. The Arborist Report is a requirement of Schedule 3 of the Official Plan. Various policies of the City’s Official Plan seek to preserve the long-term growth and increase of the amount of healthy and mature trees within the City. These principles are also reflected in the City’s Toronto Green Standards and various City Council-approved initiatives. The City of Toronto Municipal Code also establishes authority in regulating trees and ravine areas of the City, including the Tree By-law (Chapter 813), Ravine and Natural Feature Protection By-law (Chapter 658), and the Parks By-law (Chapter 608).

Required Contents

Archaeological Assessment

Description

An archaeological resource assessment identifies and evaluates the presence of archaeological resources also known as archaeological sites. Archaeological resources or sites include the physical remains and contextual setting of any structure, event, place, feature, or object which, because of the passage of time, is on or below the surface of the land or water, and is important to understanding the history of a people or place.

Since 2004 the City of Toronto, Heritage Preservation Services (HPS), has been developing an archaeological management plan (AMP) to govern when archaeological assessments are required within City lands. This planning tool is a predictive model and provides information on which lands are likely to contain archaeological resources and should be subject to an assessment.

When Required

An archaeological assessment is required for the following application types if the property is on the City’s database of lands containing archaeological potential:

Whether a property has archaeological resource potential can be confirmed at the searchable database TO maps. Use the map’s legend and activate the archaeological potential tab to search property addresses directly.

An archaeological assessment may also be required if a property is identified on the City of Toronto’s Inventory of Heritage Properties as part of the Heritage Impact Assessment process (See terms of reference for Heritage Impact Assessments).

Rationale

An archaeological assessment is required on lands that hold archaeological potential in order to ascertain the presence or absence of archaeological resources. If these resources are present, the archaeological assessment will evaluate the significance of these resources and outline measures to mitigate the impact of development on these resources. Mitigation measures include on-site preservation and avoidance of the archaeological site entirely, as per the City of Toronto’s Official Plan, 10 (b), or alternatively the site is subject to full documentation and removal.

The archaeological assessment will inform the review of an application by City Planning staff. The rationale for the requirement to provide an archaeological assessment is based on the findings of the City of Toronto’s archaeological management plan together with the legislative authority stemming from: the Ontario Heritage Act, Section 2 (d) of the Planning Act, Section 2.6.3 of the Provincial Policy Statement (2005), Section 3.1.5 Heritage Resources of the City of Toronto’s Official Plan, the Environmental Assessment Act (1997), the Environmental Protection Act, O.Reg.359/09, the Aggregate Resources Act, and the Cemeteries Act.

Required Contents

An archaeological assessment is divided into stages 1-4, as per the Ministry of Tourism and Culture 2011 Standards and Guidelines for Consultant Archaeologists for land-based archaeology.

The assessment must adhere to both the Standards and Guidelines for work conducted within lands which comprise the City of Toronto.

Stage 1

Background Study and Property Inspection – The consultant archaeologist reviews the geographical and historical information for lands which are part of the development proposal, and completes a detailed land use study. The land use study is to include a review of historical land use and ownership records (e.g. assessment rolls, census records, commercial directories).

For City of Toronto proposals/projects, a property inspection is mandatory and not optional.

Stage 2

Property Assessment – A field examination takes place which may require either a surface or pedestrian survey or test pit surveys of the subject property. Special conditions such as brownfield properties or deeply buried urban contexts will require alternative strategies and should be discussed with Heritage Preservation Services staff in advance of work. If aboriginal archaeological sites may be encountered during Stage 2 work due to proximity to known archaeological sites in the area or local or oral history, First Nations engagement and consultation will be required at Stage 2 assessment. Special conditions should be discussed with HPS staff prior to the assessment being undertaken.

Stage 3

Site Specific Assessment – When potential archaeological sites are identified during the course of Stage 2 work, additional detailed information is obtained through a Stage 3 assessment. This will delineate and evaluate the significance of the site found and make recommendations for appropriate mitigation measures. For some sites, no further work will be recommended at the end of Stage 3. First Nations engagement and consultation will be required should aboriginal archaeological sites be discovered at Stage 3. The City of Toronto’s Official Plan Policy 10 c) states that “indigenous cultural remains should be identified, recorded, protected and preserved” rather than be subject to full archaeological assessment including documentation and removal.

Stage 4

Mitigation of Development Impacts – Stage 4 includes implementing long-term protection strategies for archaeological sites to be impacted by the project. If after full consultation with the City of Toronto, the proponent, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and the consultant archaeologist, protection of the site cannot be achieved, the consultant archaeologist may excavate the site to fully document features and remove artifacts prior to further soil disturbance activities taking place on site.

Additional submission requirements:

Provide two colour copies of all archaeological assessments completed, the Borden registration form if filed, and an electronic copy of all reports in PDF format.

Should the archaeological consultant recommendations include a program of archaeological monitoring during the construction process, an archaeological monitoring and mitigation strategy will be required as a condition of development approval.

Should the assessment result in the discovery of an archaeological site, or significant archaeological resources, the proponent will be required to prepare and implement a commemoration and interpretation strategy as a condition of the development approval.

Comments

Archaeological assessments are to be completed together with any associated mitigation well in advance of any soil disturbance. Archaeological assessments cannot be completed during certain times of the year (i.e. snow cover, frozen ground, excessive rain/wet conditions).

Architecture Control Guidelines

Description

Architectural Control Guidelines are a written and graphic manual providing division direction regarding the achievement of the built form and public realm policies contained in the Built Environment section of the Official Plan (Section 3.1). The Guidelines are a combination of text, plans, illustrative sketches and photos, sections and comparative models or examples that inform the proponent, public and City about the built form, landscape and structures on private lands within new neighbourhoods.

A land owner may choose to use a “Control Architect Process” to achieve the City’s built form objectives and control the quality of work in each phase. Discussions about Architectural Control Guidelines should be held with the Planner and Urban Designer in pre-application consultation meetings to determine the applicability of this form of guideline to the site. This is particularly important on large sites that will take many years to complete.

The Guidelines are written for the Control Architect to use in evaluating the design of buildings and associated landscapes within the area. The Guidelines may be an alternative to individual site plans (for single lots, and building types not normally processed through Site Plan Approval) in parts of the City where it is important for new buildings to blend with existing communities/neighbourhoods, to advance the emerging character of a new or redeveloping community/neighbourhood. The Control Architect Process and the use of the Architectural Control Guidelines is a standard process for the development industry within the GTA.

When Required

Architectural Control Guidelines may be required for sites with multiple buildings.

The requirement for, and scope of, the Architectural Control Guidelines should be discussed with the Planner and Urban Designer in pre-application consultation meetings. Architectural Control Guidelines will likely be required for applications incorporating large land areas with a number of parcels or phases within a development, new streets and parks and sites of civic prominence.

d the landowner and implemented through an Architectural Control Process that is managed and paid for by the landowner. They address built form matters and may exceed the provisions of the Planning Act by addressing architectural matters such as materials, colours and detailing in addition to siting and building massing issues. The Guidelines depend upon agreement between the City and the developer regarding the importance of a high quality of architectural design.

When administered properly, the Architectural Control Process can streamline future planning approvals by clarifying design expectations for development and minimizing City staff involvement. In the appropriate agreement (i.e., subdivision agreement) requirements that building permits not be issued for lots under architectural control in advance of certification (in a form acceptable to the City) from a “Control Architect” will be included.

A “Control Architect” administers the Council approved Architectural Control Guidelines on behalf of the City and the developer. The Control Architect is an independent professional responsible for conducting a comprehensive review of each lot to ensure that siting, built form, materials, colours and landscaping, among other things, are in compliance with the approved Guidelines. To avoid potential conflict of interest, it is important that the Control Architect and the Design Architect not be the same individual or firm.

The Guidelines will address the whole of the new neighbourhood or plan of subdivision. Specific types of development, development blocks and/or built form may be specifically omitted at the discretion of the City. Where a contiguous tract of land is divided into several subdivisions or development sites, use of a comprehensive set of Guidelines will be encouraged to achieve architectural consistency within a larger neighbourhood.

The Guidelines will be flexible to accommodate change as it occurs while maintaining intact the essential urban design ideas.

Required Contents

Architectural Control Guidelines should be applied to development as a condition of subdivision or equivalent development approval process. The applicant should develop draft Architectural Control Guidelines as early as possible in the planning process with active participation by City staff. The Architectural Control Guidelines may be attached to or referenced by the applicable subdivision/development agreement. Approval for minor revisions to the Guidelines may be delegated to staff. Where major revisions are needed, Council approval may be required.

Final Architectural Control Guidelines

Architectural Control Guidelines will form part of a subdivision agreement and will consist of the following components (though modification may be required to address the requirements of individual neighbourhoods and districts):

More detailed design direction for the following:

Additional built form matters may be included to address contextual and site specific conditions. These matters may include, but are not limited to, cultural or natural heritage, noise attenuation, height restrictions and topographic conditions.

Final Guidelines will include:

Avenue Segment Review Study

Description

The Avenues as shown on Map two of the Official Plan are important corridors along major streets where reurbanization is anticipated and encouraged. Contextual and appropriate reurbanization of the Avenues will be achieved through the preparation of Avenue Studies. These studies will be undertaken by the City and will set out the terms of reurbanization and include urban design guidelines and a comprehensive zoning by-law for the Avenue. Due to the significant number of Avenues, the program to complete all the studies will take several years. In the meantime, development in Mixed Use Areas on an Avenue prior to the completion of an Avenue Study may proceed provided the applicants of such proposed development undertake an Avenue Segment Review.

As described in policy 2.2.3.3b of the Official Plan, Segment Reviews are required to:

  1. include an assessment of the impacts of the incremental development of the entire Avenue segment at a similar form, scale and intensity, appropriately allowing for distinguishing circumstances;
  2. consider whether incremental development of the entire Avenue segment as identified in the above assessment would adversely impact any adjacent Neighbourhoods or Apartment Neighbourhoods;
  3. consider whether the proposed development is supportable by available infrastructure; and
  4. be considered together with any amendment to the Official Plan or Zoning By-law at the statutory public meeting for the proposed development.

For a more fulsome explanation of the Avenues and the relevant development policies, applicants should refer to Section 2.2.3 of the Official Plan.

When Required

The Official Plan requires that all applicants submit an Avenue Segment Review as part of their Official Plan Amendment and/or Zoning By-law Amendment application package for any proposed development in the Mixed Use Areas on Avenues where an Avenue Study has not yet been completed, and where the Avenues & Mid-Rise Study does not apply.

For applications within areas where a Segment Review has been previously submitted a full Segment Review may not be required. This depends however on when the previous Segment Review was completed, and the applicant’s ability to demonstrate that their proposed development would not alter the findings of the previous Segment Review(s) and that the proposed development would continue to establish a positive precedent for the rest of the Avenue Segment. In these scenarios applicants are encouraged to consult with City Planning staff as early in the development approval process as possible to determine if a full Segment Review is required and the elements to be studied.

It should also be noted that applications on sites designated Apartment Neighbourhood Areas, do not require a Segment Review but applicants are expected to discuss and address Avenue policies in the associated planning rationale. Further, applications on sites designated Employment Areas and/or on sites designated Mixed Use Areas proposing employment uses without a residential component may not be required to submit a full Segment Review. As with the above, applicants with these scenarios are encouraged to consult with City Planning staff as early in the development approval process as possible.

Rationale

The overall goal of the Avenue Segment Review is to ensure that the proposed development will establish a positive precedent for the future reurbanization of the Avenue, with particular regard to building form, massing and intensity. Acceptance of the review is dependent upon the Segment Review reasonably demonstrating that the proposed development will have no adverse impacts and will establish a positive precedent for the Avenue Segment that is subject to the review. A clear indication as to how the policies of Section 2.2.3.3b) of the Official Plan have been addressed, along with the other Avenue policies and other relevant policies of the Plan is required.

Required Contents

The Official Plan identifies criteria Avenue Segment Reviews are to meet in policy 2.2.3.3b) and specific details regarding content can be found in the sidebar on page 2-16 (Avenue Studies and Development Applications). Although the sidebar refers to the contents of an actual Avenue Study it does state that an application for development on a site where an Avenue Study has not yet been completed will be evaluated through a process that mirrors that of an Avenue Study. In other words, a Segment Review may cover similar study topics but would not produce a specific set of development and design guidelines or an implementing zoning by-law beyond the development site.

Final determination of the boundaries and content of a Segment Review will be determined by City Planning staff based on a review of the area’s context and from discussions with the applicant’s consultant. During pre-application consultation, City Planning staff will work with the applicant’s consultant to determine the specific requirements of the Segment Review based on the nature of the proposed application and the context of the study area.

Determining Avenue Segment Review Boundaries

Generally speaking, the Avenue segment to be reviewed is defined by the context of the area and/or how similar the subject site is to other properties and land uses along the segment. Boundary indicators can include but are not limited to:

At a minimum the Segment Review should address an area large enough that the impacts of the proposed development, including the precedent setting (i.e. cumulative) impacts, can be assessed.

General Outline of Contents