Townhouses and Infill

Design intent: To design and site buildings to support a positive relationship to the street and public open spaces, while providing a clearly defined public-private transition zone

Guidelines

In addition to the strategies outlined in the General Residential Guidelines: 

1. Orient the primary façade of buildings to face the fronting street. In the case of lots with multiple frontages, buildings must also be oriented and designed to address flanking streets through architectural and landscape treatments including, but not limited to, front doors and windows (see Figure 27). Design primary entrances to provide:
   • Clearly visible front door directly accessible from a public street or publicly accessible pathway via a walkway, porch and/or stoop (See Figure 28).
   • Architectural entrance features such as stoops, porches, shared landings, patios, recessed entries, and canopies.
   • For buildings oriented perpendicularly to the street (e.g. ‘slot townhomes’), ensure that the end unit facing the street is a custom street-oriented unit with the primary entrance directly accessible from the fronting street and living space at grade (See Figure 18).
2. Use low fencing, landscaping, and modest changes in grade to define a sense of transition from the public to the private realm.
3. Limit the height of front entryways or stoops to a maximum of 1.2 m (5-6 steps) to improve street interface and connectivity. Exceptions may be considered in situations where the water table requires greater height, however, in such cases buildings should be stepped-back.
4. Improve the “lanescape” by orienting units located towards the rear of the property to face laneways, and use building entrances, lighting, landscaping, and materials to reinforce a safe and attractive public realm.
5. . Ensure that all vehicle surface parking is screened using fencing, landscaping, and other tools to mitigate visual impacts to the street and neighbouring properties (See Figure 29).

Figure 27: In the case of lots with multiple frontages, buildings must also be oriented and designed to address flanking streets (3.3.1 a).

Figure 28: Front doors should be directly accessible via a walkway, porch and/ or stoop, and front yards should incorporate complementary landscaping and modest fencing (3.3.1. c, d).

Figure 29: Screen vehicle surface parking using fencing, landscaping, and other tools to mitigate visual impacts (3.3.1. e).

Design Intent: To design landscapes and open spaces that enhance neighbourhood character, that provide high-quality outdoor living spaces that are useable year-round, and that provide a clear transition between the private and public realm.

Guidelines

In addition to the strategies outlined in the General Residential Guidelines: 

1. Design all units to have easy and direct access to high-quality, private outdoor amenity space located at grade that is useable year-round.
2. Provide landscaping in strategic locations throughout the site to frame building entrances, soften building edges, screen parking garages/areas, and break up long facades.
3.  Design open spaces and landscaped areas to protect and to feature mature trees on site, where possible (See Figure 32).

• Relaxations to select development regulations may be considered to retain existing mature trees (See Figure33).

4. Open spaces should be designed to allow for required shade trees to reach mature sizes.
5. Design outdoor amenity spaces to:

• Have landscaped areas to soften the interface with the street or open spaces (See Figure 34).
• Maximize the permeable surfaces in all landscaped and open spaces. Discourage the use of impermeable surfaces, such as poured-in-place concrete.
• Not be impacted by parking, mechanical equipment, or servicing areas.
• Avoid a ‘rear yard’ condition with undeveloped frontages along streets and open spaces.

6. Design private balconies to:

• Minimize direct sight lines and overlook into nearby units and properties.
• Be inset or partially inset to offer privacy and shelter, reduce building bulk, and minimize shadowing.

7. Design rooftop patios to:

• Minimize direct sight lines and overlook into nearby units;
• Encourage opaque glass guard rails on rooftops to reduce impact on privacy and overlook into neighbouring properties.

8. Design internal driveways to serve as additional shared space using strategies such as:

• High-quality, permeable pavement materials (e.g. interlocking, permeable pavers).

Figure 32: Protect and feature mature trees, where possible (3.3.3 c).

Figure 33: Relaxations on select development regulations may be considered to retain existing mature trees (3.3.3 c).

Figure 34: Have landscaped areas to soften the interface with the street and open spaces (3.3.3 e).

Design Intent: To provide a flexible approach to unit mix and tenure forms in small-scale infill development. Site buildings to enhance liveability, privacy, safety, and accessibility; to increase connectivity to surrounding public spaces; and to contribute towards a healthy urban forest.

Guidelines

In addition to the strategies outlined in the General Residential Guidelines: 

1. Locate buildings on a site to: 
   • Establish ground-oriented units to directly front onto primary 
     and secondary streets.
   • Minimize impermeable surfaces such as drive aisles and 
     parking areas.
   • Protect and retain mature trees, where possible.
   • Maximize sunlight access to interior spaces and to outdoor 
     amenity areas.
2. Provide pedestrian pathways on site to connect: 
   • Main unit entrances to public sidewalks and open spaces 
     (minimum width of 1.2m lit pathway) (See Figure 37).
   • Parking areas to unit entrances; where applicable.
   • From the site to adjacent pedestrian/trail/cycling networks, 
     where applicable.
   • The common utility and water servicing location.
3. Where multiple buildings are located on a site, ensure that outdoor amenity space provided at grade between the buildings is generous and comfortable.
4. Encourage the redevelopment of properties while maintaining existing dwellings, if possible. Internal housing conversions, such as additional units within a structure are encouraged (See Figure 38).
5. For proposals that retain existing dwellings, relaxations to design guidelines and development regulations may be considered.
6. Permissible site layout configurations include, but are not limited to, those shown in the diagrams on the next page:

Figure 37: Provide pedestrian pathways on site to connect sidewalks, open spaces,  unit entrances, and parking areas (3.3.5 b).

Figure 38: Encourage the redevelopment of properties while maintaining existing dwellings (3.3.5 d).