Toronto Areas | Scarborough

Multiplexes in Scarborough

Scarborough is the largest former municipality and the most suburban — postwar, auto-oriented, with big lots and bungalows. That lot size gives a multiplex new-build or a garden suite room the old core does not have. And Scarborough North (Ward 23) is the City's suburban sixplex pilot: one of the nine wards where up to six units are now permitted, included as the test that the form fits a typical suburban lot. Up to four units are permitted as-of-right elsewhere in the area. Pull the per-neighbourhood numbers from the City's Neighbourhood Profiles.

Key Takeaways

✓The city's largest, most suburban lots — room for new-builds and garden suites.
✓Scarborough North (Ward 23) is the suburban sixplex pilot — up to six units.
✓Four units as-of-right across the rest of Scarborough unless a ward opts in.
✓Big rear yards make a garden suite a natural added unit.

Why Scarborough Fits Multiplex Infill

The largest lots in the city

The suburban sixplex pilot

Scarborough North (Ward 23) is the sixplex pilot. When the City extended permissions to six units in June 2025, it included Ward 23 as the one suburban ward — its own evidence that a six-unit form fits a typical suburban lot, not just a downtown one.

Room for a multiplex plus a garden suite

Big rear yards make garden suites a natural fit across Scarborough. A fourplex new-build on a wide lot can leave space for a detached garden suite in the rear yard, adding a unit on a lot without a public laneway.

Area and former-municipality context via the City of Toronto former municipalities archive and the Neighbourhood Profiles. The sixplex pilot and Ward 23 via the Sixplexes Citywide Study.

Best For

✓ Wide suburban lots in Scarborough North (Ward 23) aiming for five or six units.
✓ Big-lot fourplex new-builds elsewhere in Scarborough at the four-unit ceiling.
✓ Lots with deep rear yards where a garden suite adds a unit beside the multiplex.

Usually Fails When

✕ A sixplex is assumed outside Ward 23 (where the ward has not opted in).
✕ An auto-oriented site is underwritten on parking it no longer needs to provide.
✕ A garden suite is planned without confirming the rear-yard depth.

What To Verify Before Spending Money

→ The residential zone and Neighbourhoods designation for the parcel.
→ Whether the lot is in Ward 23 (sixplex) or a four-unit ward.
→ Lot dimensions and rear-yard depth for a multiplex plus a garden suite.

Where to Go Next

Sixplex Wards Map

Where Ward 23 sits in the pilot.

Sixplexes & the 9 Wards

What the six-unit permission allows.

Garden Suites

The rear-yard unit on big suburban lots.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I build a sixplex in Scarborough? +

In Scarborough North (Ward 23), the City's suburban sixplex pilot. When the City extended permissions to six units in June 2025, Ward 23 was the one Scarborough ward included, on the finding that a six-unit form fits a typical suburban lot. The rest of Scarborough is capped at four units as-of-right unless the ward councillor opts in.

Why did the City choose Scarborough North for the sixplex pilot? +

The Sixplexes Citywide Study found that six-unit forms fit on typical suburban lots, and Scarborough North (Ward 23) was included as the suburban test of that. It is the City's own evidence that the six-unit form is not just a downtown product — it works on the larger, postwar lots that define Scarborough.

Are Scarborough lots good for a multiplex? +

Scarborough has the city's largest lots — postwar, suburban, with big bungalows. That gives a fourplex new-build or a garden suite more room than the narrow lots of the old core. Up to four units are permitted as-of-right anywhere in a residential Neighbourhoods zone; Scarborough North also permits up to six. Check the specific lot against the City's Neighbourhood Profiles.

Do Scarborough lots suit garden suites? +

Yes. Scarborough's big rear yards are well suited to a garden suite — a detached unit in the back yard on a lot without a public laneway. Most Scarborough streets were not platted with rear lanes, so a garden suite is usually the fit rather than a laneway suite. It can sit alongside a multiplex on a wide lot.