On August 15, 2025, the City of Toronto received long-awaited Provincial approval of Official Plan Amendments 524, 537, 540, 544, 570 and 575 (the “OPAs”) originally adopted by City Council in 2022. Together, these six OPAs delineate 25 Major Transit Station Areas (“MTSAs”) and 95 Protected Major Transit Station Areas (“PMTSAs”) and alter the height and density requirements in designated areas to increase growth near existing and future transit nodes.
Approval of the OPAs will finally implement section 2.4.2 of the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024, which requires planning authorities to delineate MTSAs or higher order transit corridors through official plan policies. These areas are required to be delineated within approximately 500-800 m radius of transit stations, and planning authorities are directed to plan for the following specified minimum density targets in said areas:
- 200 residents and jobs combined per hectare for those that are served by subways;
- 160 residents and jobs combined per hectare for those that are served by light rail or bus rapid transit; or
- 150 residents and jobs combined per hectare for those that are served by commuter or regional rail.
The purpose of this is to maximize the number of transit users residing within a walking distance of the station.
Inclusionary Zoning
Importantly, these new OPAs work cohesively with subsection 16(5.1) of the Planning Act, as a municipality can only apply inclusionary zoning policies in areas designated as PMTSAs or in an area in respect of which a development permit system was adopted in response to a prescribed order. The City has indicated that its inclusionary zoning framework is now in effect; however, it will have to bring its zoning (Chapter 600.30 of By-law 569-2013) into compliance with the recent Provincial amendments to Ontario Regulation 232/18, which cap the affordable housing unit requirements to a maximum of 5% of the total units provided and limit the time required to maintain affordable units as affordable to 25 years. Currently, the City’s zoning by-law requires that 5 to 10% of the total units be set aside, depending on the location of the site, and that affordability be maintained for a minimum of 99 years.
A key map showing the PMTSAs and MTSAs is accessible here.
Summary of the OPAs
The most notable change comes from OPA 540, which introduces Chapter 8 to the City of Toronto Official Plan. Chapter 8 implements the framework to facilitate transit supportive development and includes policies and site and area specific policies (“SASPs”) for each MTSA and PMTSA. These new policies delineate each individual MTSA and PMTSA; express minimum density requirements by way of residents and jobs per hectare for both MTSAs and PMTSAs; and express minimum floor space index (“FSI”) requirements and/or a minimum number of units for the PMTSAs.
Policies 1 to 8 apply to all PMTSAs and MTSAs and group new permissions into three land use designations. The permissions are determined by the distance the site is from the transit station, with the density permissions increasing for sites closest to the stations.
In areas designated by the Official Plan as Neighbourhoods, the permissions include:
- Multiplex or apartments within 200 m of an existing or planned transit station, or fronting on major streets as shown on Map 3 of the Official Plan, can be up to 6 storeys.
- Multiplex or apartments beyond 200 m of transit stations and not fronting on major streets can be up to 4-storeys.
In areas designated as Mixed Use Areas, Apartment Neighbourhoods and Regeneration Areas, City-initiated zoning will permit:
- an FSI of 8 or more for lands within 200 m of existing or planned transit stations.
- an FSI of 6 or more for lands within 200-500 m of existing or planned transit stations.
In areas where the zoning can accommodate three or more towers, the permissions include:
- Building heights of 30 storeys within 200 m of existing or planned transit stations.
- Building heights of 20 storeys within 200m-500m of existing or planned transit stations.
Further, additional height will be permitted without an amendment to the Official Plan if a block context plan is provided demonstrating elements such as new public streets, parks, publicly accessible open spaces, mid-block connections, public art and a mix of building types and heights.
The above policies apply alongside existing Secondary Plans and SASPs established under Chapter 7. In cases where policies conflict, the policy which provides for the greatest density will apply.
Other notable changes to the OPAs are summarized below.
| OPA | Outcome of Approval | Key Notes / Modifications | Links |
| 524 | Approved 16 PMTSAs in downtown Toronto (as modified) | Provincial modification removed Finch West and Sentinel Transit Station Areas from Table of Contents | City of Toronto Adopted
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| 537 | Approved 1 PMTSA – St. Clair–Old Weston (as approved) | Introduced Keele–St. Clair Secondary Plan, delineating PMTSA within Plan Area; no provincial modifications | City of Toronto Adopted
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| 540 | Approved 23 PMTSAs along Bloor–Danforth subway line (as modified) | Created Chapter 8 introducing SASP policies for PMTSAs/MTSAs; Province added overarching policies for all transit station areas | City of Toronto Adopted
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| 544 | Approved 6 PMTSAs & 3 MTSAs in Etobicoke & North York (as modified) | Deferred Rouge Hill MTSA; modified York Mills MTSA densities (Special Policy Area + increased FSI minimums) | City of Toronto Adopted
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| 570 | Approved 49 PMTSAs & modified maps for 8 PMTSAs (as modified) | Deferred 8 PMTSAs: Guildwood GO, Long Branch, Scarborough GO, Exhibition, East Harbour, Gerrard, Scarborough Centre, Yonge–Steeles | City of Toronto Adopted
Part 1 (Birchmount to Yorkdale)
Part 2 (Gerrard-Carlaw to Mimico)
Part 3 (Moss Park to Yonge-Steeles)
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| 575 | Approved 22 MTSAs along Eglinton Crosstown LRT (as modified) | Province created Special Policy Area at Agincourt MTSA; deferred McCowan, Science Centre, and Milliken MTSAs | City of Toronto Adopted
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More information can be found on the City’s Official Plan webpage here.
As always, Davies Howe LLP is here to keep you informed of Toronto’s Official Plan and forthcoming zoning by-law updates, and how they shape development within proximity to transit. If you have any questions or need guidance on these changes, our land use planning team is ready to assist.