Toronto Areas | Old Toronto
Multiplexes in Old Toronto
Old Toronto is the pre-amalgamation core, the Annex, Leslieville, Riverdale, the Junction, High Park, Parkdale, Trinity-Bellwoods. It was built before the car, on narrow deep lots that back onto a public laneway grid, with the best subway and streetcar access in the city. That makes it the strongest area in Toronto for laneway suites and for converting Victorian and Edwardian semis into multiplexes. It also holds most of the wards where sixplexes are now permitted. Pull the hard numbers for any neighbourhood from the City's Neighbourhood Profiles.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Deep lots backing onto a public laneway grid, the strongest area for laneway suites.
- ✓Four units as-of-right in any residential Neighbourhoods zone; up to six in the sixplex wards here.
- ✓Most of the nine sixplex wards, including Parkdale-High Park, Davenport, Toronto-Danforth, sit in Old Toronto.
- ✓Victorian and Edwardian semis convert to a fourplex inside roughly the existing house envelope.
Narrow frontages and older zone codes mean two lots on one street can allow different things. Check the zone on your specific address .
New multiplex builds in Old Toronto
165 new multiplex building permit applications have been filed in Old Toronto since January 2024, at 143 distinct addresses. That is 19.4% of all new multiplex applications in Toronto. The most common size is 2 new homes, on 57 projects.
Where these applications stand
Of 165 applications in Old Toronto, 127 have an issued permit, 18 are still under review, and 20 were refused, cancelled or abandoned. A filed application is not a permit, so the totals on this page count applications rather than approvals.
Taken from the City's own status value on each permit, not from which dataset it appears in.
New homes each project adds
Counts new homes added, not homes in the finished building. Demolishing a house and building a fourplex in its place adds three, not four.
Permits filed by year
By application date. The current year is partial, so it is not comparable to a full one.
What builders declared it would cost
Across 136 projects in Old Toronto that state both a value and between two and six new homes, the declared construction cost runs from $700,000 at the 25th percentile to $1,000,000 at the 75th, with a median of $1,000,000.
This is the figure the applicant wrote on the permit application. It is not a sale price, it is not the final cost of the build, and it does not include the land.
How long the City took to issue
Of the 165 projects in Old Toronto, 132 have been issued. Those took a median of 83 days from application, with a quarter issued within 52 days and a quarter taking longer than 119. 33 are still waiting and are not in that median.
Application to issue, from the City's own dates. Projects still under review are excluded rather than counted at how long they have waited so far, which would understate the real wait.
Busiest wards in Old Toronto
- Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth 27
- Ward 11 University-Rosedale 24
- Ward 19 Beaches-East York 24
- Ward 09 Davenport 23
- Ward 04 Parkdale-High Park 20
- Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul's 15
Why Old Toronto Fits Multiplex Infill
Deep lots backing onto laneways
The pre-amalgamation core was platted before the car. Its narrow, deep lots back onto a public laneway grid that runs behind the houses, the exact condition a laneway suite needs. That makes Old Toronto the strongest area in the city for stacking a laneway suite behind a multiplex.
The best transit in the city
The Annex, Trinity-Bellwoods, Leslieville, and Riverdale sit on subway and streetcar lines that predate the suburbs. Walkability and transit access are what made parking minimums removable here first, which lowers what a multiplex needs to fit on the lot.
Most of the sixplex wards
When the City extended permissions to six units in June 2025, it did so in nine wards, and most of the Toronto and East York district wards sit inside Old Toronto. Parkdale-High Park (Ward 4), Davenport (Ward 9), Toronto-Danforth (Ward 14) and others let a lot here go beyond the four-unit city-wide ceiling.
Area boundaries and former-municipality context via the City of Toronto former municipalities archive and the Neighbourhood Profiles. Sixplex ward list via the Sixplexes Citywide Study.
Best For
- ✓ Deep laneway-abutting lots where a laneway suite stacks behind a fourplex conversion.
- ✓ Lots in the Old Toronto sixplex wards (e.g. Parkdale-High Park, Toronto-Danforth) aiming for six units.
- ✓ Victorian and Edwardian semis that convert inside the existing building envelope.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ A sixplex is assumed on an Old Toronto lot whose ward is not one of the nine.
- ✕ A Heritage Conservation District is overlooked. Many Old Toronto blocks carry one.
- ✕ A laneway suite is planned on a lot that does not actually abut a public lane.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → The residential zone and Neighbourhoods designation for the parcel.
- → Which ward the lot is in, and its sixplex status.
- → Whether the lot abuts a public laneway and any heritage designation.
Where to Go Next
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Old Toronto a good place to build a multiplex?
Why is Old Toronto the best fit for laneway suites?
Can I build a sixplex in Old Toronto?
Which Old Toronto neighbourhoods suit a fourplex conversion?
How do I check if a Heritage Conservation District affects my Old Toronto lot?
How do I know if my Old Toronto lot qualifies for a laneway suite?
Which other Old Toronto wards could add sixplex rights beyond the nine?
Why does transit access matter for an Old Toronto multiplex?
Official Sources Referenced
Related reading
Longer pieces on the same question.
Old Toronto lots vary block by block
Narrow frontages and older zone codes mean two lots on one street can allow different things. PlexCheck reads the zone stamped at your specific address.
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