Iceberg Houses

In September, City Council unanimously approved my motion calling for an interdivisional review on the impacts of “iceberg houses” in Toronto, with a specific focus on environmentally sensitive areas. Thank you to all those who wrote to City Council in support.

Iceberg houses are single-family dwellings with multi-storey, underground basements that protrude beyond the above-ground portion of the structure. In London, England, iceberg houses were significantly restricted after serious impacts were observed on the local environment and neighbouring properties. These impacts can include soil permeability and erosion, added stress to stormwater management infrastructure, flooding, collapsing neighbouring foundations and shifting ground levels, as well as the injury and removal of mature trees.

My motion was informed by a proposal for an iceberg house in Ward 15 that was approved by the Committee of Adjustment last year, despite opposition from the local community and a memo from Urban Forestry recommending refusal in order to protect several mature trees on-site. I am looking forward to a report back from City Planning in the New Year, which will include a cross-jurisdictional scan of strategies used by other municipalities to address this issue.