CRE zone, Toronto: Commercial Residential Employment Zone

What the CRE zone permits

• Under 'c' in zone label (50.10.20.10(1)(A)): Ambulance Depot
• Art Gallery
• Artist Studio
• Automated Banking Machine
• Community Centre
• Courts of Law
• Custom Workshop
• Education Use
• Financial Institution
• Fire Hall
• Hospital
• Library
• Massage Therapy
• Medical Office (includes a medical clinic)
• Museum
• Office
• Park
• Passenger Terminal
• Performing Arts Studio
• Personal Service Shop
• Pet Services
• Police Station
• Post-Secondary School
• Production Studio
• Religious Education Use
• Retail Service
• Service Shop
• Software Development and Processing
• Veterinary Hospital
• Wellness Centre
• Under 'r' in zone label (50.10.20.10(1)(B)): Dwelling Unit in a permitted building type (Detached House, Semi-Detached House, Townhouse, Duplex, Triplex, Fourplex, Apartment Building, Mixed Use Building)
• Hospice Care Home
• Municipal Shelter
• Nursing Home
• Religious Residence
• Residential Care Home
• Respite Care Facility
• Retirement Home
• Student Residence
• Under 'e' in zone label (50.10.20.10(1)(C)): Beverage Manufacturing Use
• Bindery
• Carpenter's Shop
• Cold Storage
• Computer, Communications, Electronics, or Optical Media Manufacturing Use
• Dry Cleaning or Laundry Plant
• Furniture Manufacturing Use
• Industrial Sales and Service Use
• Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing Use
• Metal Products Manufacturing Use
• Printing Establishment
• Self-storage Warehouse
• Warehouse
• Wholesaling Use
• With conditions (50.10.20.20 / 50.10.20.100): Amusement Arcade (2)
• Animal Shelter (9)
• Cabaret (2)
• Club (2)
• Day Nursery (26)
• Eating Establishment (2,32)
• Entertainment Place of Assembly (2)
• Funeral Home (4)
• Hotel (5)
• Laboratory (10)
• Nightclub (2,3)
• Outdoor Patio (21)
• Outdoor Sales or Display (41)
• Place of Assembly (2,28)
• Place of Worship (34)
• Private School (27)
• Public School (27)
• Public Utility (7,44)
• Public Works Yard (8)
• Recreation Use (2,39)
• Retail Store (6)
• Sports Place of Assembly (39)
• Take-out Eating Establishment (2)
• Transportation Use (43)
• Vehicle Dealership (22)
• Vehicle Fuel Station (23)
• Vehicle Service Shop (24)
• Vehicle Washing Establishment (25)
• Crisis Care Shelter (36)
• Group Home (29)
• Multi-tenant House (40)
• Private Home Daycare (38)
• Secondary Suite (37)
• Seniors Community House (35)
• Short-term Rental (33)
• Tourist Home (20)
• Apparel and Textile Manufacturing Use (12)
• Clay Product Manufacturing Use (16,19)
• Cogeneration Energy (42)
• Contractor's Establishment (11)
• Food Manufacturing Use (13)
• Glass Product Manufacturing Use (15)
• Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing Use (16,17)
• Plastic Product Manufacturing Use (16,18)
• Renewable Energy (42)
• Wood Product Manufacturing Use (14)

Standards

Other provisions in this section

• Lot frontage, lot area, maximum FSI (density) and maximum dwelling units are given as suffixes in the zone label (f, a, d, u) and maximum lot coverage by the Lot Coverage Overlay Map; none are stated as numbers in Section 50.10 (see 50.5 and Chapter 5).
• Maximum building depth: no portion of a building may be set back more than 50.0 m from a lot line abutting a street (50.10.40.30); a greater lawfully existing depth is permitted for that building (50.10.40.31).
• Separation: minimum 11.0 m above-ground between facing main walls of buildings (or of the same building) on the same lot where a right-angle projection from one wall intercepts the other (50.10.40.80(1)); in King-Spadina (Queen St W / Simcoe / Front St W / Bathurst) minimum 15.0 m between facing windows and 7.5 m between windows and a windowless main wall or a lot line not abutting a street or park (50.10.40.80(2),(3)); lawfully existing lesser separations permitted (50.10.40.81).
• Buildings with 20 or more dwelling units: amenity space at least 4.0 m² per unit, of which at least 2.0 m² per unit indoor, at least 40.0 m² outdoor adjoining or directly accessible to the indoor space, and no more than 25% of the outdoor component may be a green roof (50.10.40.50); lawfully existing buildings exempt (50.10.40.51).
• King-Spadina area: first storey elevation must be at or within 0.6 m above the abutting public sidewalk (or the street if no sidewalk) (50.10.40.1(1)).
• A building with a dwelling unit may not have another building between any main wall and the street it fronts; same rule for hotels; no dwelling units or hotel rooms in the rear of another building or behind the original part of the same building (50.10.40.1(2)-(4)).
• Encroachments - platforms (decks, porches, balconies) attached to or within 0.3 m of a building: floor no higher than the first storey may encroach the lesser of 2.5 m or 50% of the required setback if at least 0.3 m from a lot line; floor above the first storey may encroach 1.5 m (50.10.40.60(1)).
• Encroachments - canopies/awnings: same as the platform they cover; uncovered, in a rear yard the lesser of 2.5 m or 50% of the rear setback (keeping the side setback), in a side yard not abutting a street max 1.5 m if at least 0.3 m from side lot lines, in a front or flanking side yard per 50.5.40.60(1) (50.10.40.60(2)).
• Encroachments - exterior stairs max 1.5 horizontal : 1.0 vertical, max 2.0 m wide, at least 0.3 m from a lot line; uncovered access ramps max 15:1 slope, max 1.5 m wide per segment, at least 0.3 m from a lot line; elevating devices to first storey only, max 3.0 m² area, at least 0.3 m from a lot line (50.10.40.60(3)).
• Encroachments - added cladding max 0.15 m if the building is at least 5 years old; pilasters, cornices, sills etc. max 1.0 m if at least 0.3 m from a lot line; chimney breast max 0.6 m if no wider than 2.0 m and at least 0.3 m from a lot line (50.10.40.60(4),(5)).
• Encroachments - bay/box windows not touching the ground: max 0.75 m into front or rear yard setback if window projections occupy no more than 65% of the wall width per storey; max 0.6 m into a side yard setback if no more than 30% of the side wall width and at least 0.6 m from the side lot line (50.10.40.60(6)).
• Encroachments - wall-mounted equipment at least 0.3 m from a lot line: air conditioner max 0.9 m into rear/side setback (not above first storey); satellite dish max 0.9 m; antenna max 0.9 m into rear/side setback; vent or pipe max 0.6 m into rear/side setback (50.10.40.60(7)).
• Landscaping: a minimum 1.5 m wide strip of soft landscaping and a fence are required along any lot line abutting a lot in the Residential or Residential Apartment Zone category (50.10.50.10).
• Parking: no vehicle may be parked or stored in the front yard (50.10.80.10); outdoor parking spaces must be at least 0.5 m from a lot line (50.10.80.20) and at least 1.5 m from a lot line abutting a Residential/Residential Apartment lot, with no vehicle access over such a lot (50.10.100.10); outdoor parking areas with more than 3 spaces in a side or rear yard abutting a street, lane or Residential/Residential Apartment lot must be fenced (50.10.80.1(1)).
• Above-ground parking structures must be combined with another permitted use, and any street-facing portion less than 4.0 m above the street lot line must contain other permitted uses to a minimum depth of 10.0 m along the whole main wall, except for vehicle access (50.10.80.1(2)).
• Mixed-use buildings with fewer than 25 dwelling units: at least one-third of required parking spaces must be unassigned and available to all occupants and visitors (50.10.80.1(3)).
• Loading spaces may not be in a front yard, a side yard abutting a street, or any side/rear yard abutting a Residential/Residential Apartment lot (50.10.90.10); access must be from a lane where one abuts the lot, or from the non-major street on a corner lot without a lane; no loading access over a Residential/Residential Apartment lot (50.10.90.40); lawfully existing loading spaces exempt (50.10.90.11, 50.10.90.41).
• Waste: all waste and recyclables must be stored in a wholly enclosed building for buildings permitted more than 3 years after May 9, 2013; an ancillary waste building may not be in a front yard or flanking side yard and must be at least 7.5 m from a Residential, Residential Apartment or Open Space zone lot and 1.0 m from other side and rear lot lines (50.10.150.1).
• Condition (2): amusement arcades, cabarets, clubs, eating establishments, entertainment places of assembly, places of assembly, recreation uses and take-out eating establishments - total interior floor area on a lot within 6.1 m of a Residential/Residential Apartment lot may not exceed 400 m² (net of areas listed in 50.5.40.40 and basement/other-storey offices, storage and staff rooms); no limit if the lot is more than 6.1 m away.
• Condition (3): nightclub must be in a non-residential building, the only nightclub in the building, not above the first storey (except offices/storage/staff rooms; mezzanine not a storey), max 400 m² interior floor area if within 6.1 m of a Residential/Residential Apartment lot, may not abut Spadina Avenue; west of Spadina (Front St W to lane north of Richmond St W, east of Bathurst) the lot must have existed on February 14, 2006, max 350 m², must abut King St W, Richmond St W or Adelaide St W, and no more than 14 nightclubs in the CRE zone west of Spadina.
• Condition (5): no hotel room or suite on the same storey as a dwelling unit. Condition (6): a retail store may include beer, cider or wine manufacturing if total interior floor area does not exceed 400.0 m². Condition (9): animal shelter must be the only use in the building. Condition (10): laboratory may not be in a building with a dwelling unit. Condition (16): pharmaceutical, medicine, plastic or clay manufacturing may not be in a building with a dwelling unit.
• Condition (7)/(44): public utility may not be a sewage treatment or water filtration plant; hydro transformer and gas regulator stations must be enclosed by walls and meet the zone's lot coverage, setbacks and height. Condition (8): public works yard must be wholly enclosed with no open storage. Condition (11): contractor's establishment may not store heavy equipment, construction materials or loose materials (sand, gravel, concrete) outdoors.
• Conditions (12)-(19): apparel/textile manufacturing may not involve leather or chemical dyeing; food manufacturing limited to fruit/vegetable preserving, specialty food and dairy in batch processing; wood product manufacturing may not be a saw mill, planing mill or wood distillation plant; glass manufacturing must use purchased glass; pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing limited to assembly of previously processed materials (no celluloid or pyroxylin); clay manufacturing limited to pottery, ceramics and plumbing fixtures.
• Condition (20): tourist home must be in a townhouse, detached or semi-detached house and may not use a mutual driveway. Condition (38): private home daycare may be in a townhouse, detached or semi-detached house; play area must be fenced and not in the front yard or a side yard abutting a street.
• Condition (21): outdoor patio must be combined with a listed use on the same or abutting lot; max area the greater of 50.0 m² or 50% of the premises' interior floor area; entertainment only at or below first storey and limited to the greater of 10% of the patio or 5.0 m²; must be at least 10.0 m from a Residential/Residential Apartment lot, or 40.0 m horizontally if above the first storey; a rear-yard patio abutting such a lot needs a fence parallel to the rear lot line; lawfully existing closer patios keep their lawful distance.
• Condition (28): a banquet hall place of assembly over 1,000 m² interior floor area must be at least 300.0 m from a Residential/Residential Apartment lot unless combined with a hotel.
• Condition (41): outdoor sales or display must be combined with another permitted non-residential use, no closer than 15.0 m to a lot line abutting a Residential/Residential Apartment lot, cumulative area max 250 m², not in required parking, loading, driveway or landscaping areas, and no storage of goods in a vehicle.
• Condition (42): renewable energy or cogeneration must be combined with another permitted use on the lot. Condition (43): transportation use buildings must meet all building requirements for the lot.
• Uses subject to specific use regulations elsewhere: funeral home (150.120), vehicle dealership (150.90), vehicle fuel station (150.92), vehicle service shop (150.94), vehicle washing establishment (150.96), day nursery (150.45), public/private school (150.48; under appeal, not in force), group home (150.15), eating establishment (150.100), short-term rental (150.13), place of worship (150.50; under appeal, not in force), seniors community house (150.30), crisis care shelter (150.20), secondary suite (150.10), multi-tenant house (150.25).
• Lawfully existing buildings keep their lawful height, building depth, setbacks and separation distances; additions must comply or obtain a Section 45 minor variance (50.10.40.11, .31, .71, .81).
• 50.10.40.70(6) Building Setbacks Below Ground and 50.10.90.40(3) Access Through a Main Wall were deleted by OMB Order PL130592.