[rdaner]

Article in Star about garden suites specifically.

Inside Toronto’s very first backyard garden suite — ‘I’m hoping it’s somewhere my mum might want to come’

Once a one-car garage, this family’s Briar Hill-Belgravia studio cottage offers a space for family, and saves their kid some cash.

www.thestar.com

 

[rdaner]

As a side note Ottawa has just approved garden suites and the local building industry is gearing up.

 

[flonicky]

 

[mininamib]

Is that like reverse-psychology graffiti so that no new graffiti is added to the building?

 

[flonicky]

This tucked away place at College & Crawford was my introduction to laneway houses, back in the 90s before laneways houses became a "thing".

 

[mininamib]

My first foray into something akin to laneway suites were the garage suites in an experimental Oakville neighbourhood (Oak Park). Built in the late 1990’s, it was at attempt at urban density without retail or other walkable options until relatively recently with more construction connecting the neighbourhood to large retail parking lots. But for a good 10-15 years there were several rows of dense housing surrounded by empty fields, single family houses, and stroads with large parking lot retail. The garage suites are probably just single rooms but maybe some might have multiple rooms?

Halton region takes up so much space and does house many people; if municipal priorities change, they could tap into so much potential for walkable, dense neighbourhoods.

 

[egotrippin]

My first foray into something akin to laneway suites were the garage suites in an experimental Oakville neighbourhood (Oak Park). Built in the late 1990’s, it was at attempt at urban density without retail or other walkable options until relatively recently with more construction connecting the neighbourhood to large retail parking lots. But for a good 10-15 years there were several rows of dense housing surrounded by empty fields, single family houses, and stroads with large parking lot retail. The garage suites are probably just single rooms but maybe some might have multiple rooms?

Halton region takes up so much space and does house many people; if municipal priorities change, they could tap into so much potential for walkable, dense neighbourhoods.

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View attachment 523371

I have a friend who lives in one of those "new urbanism" developments in the Cornell area of Markham and I've noticed a number of people are adding suites to the laneway garages. In fact checking out Google Maps shows that some have existed for years now. I was surprised to see them.

 

[mininamib]

Wow those are proper suites!!

 

[rdaner]

From what I remember the laneway suites were part of the original plan when Cornell got going in the 1990s.

 

[rdaner]

The suite at Dufferin and Alma is done and there is a new one being built behind 995 Dufferin. Both of these are on laneways were there are now multiple laneway houses being built. Taken 13 December.

 

[mininamib]

The beautifully symmetrical house next to the kitty mural

 

[Towered]

@rdaner do you just walk around random alleyways when you're bored?

 

[rdaner]

I take a walk every morning and take pix if there is something on the route. I will usually see a laneway house of two from the street and make a quick detour. There are so many going up now that chances are there are new ones on any given path!

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

I took my mother on a tour around there last year, because she wanted to see the garage door art galleries those laneways have become... <3

 

[rdaner]

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