A long-anticipated debate over controversial "iceberg homes" at Toronto City Council never quite materialized last week. The item, which was expected to spark extensive discussion, was ultimately deferred after Parkdale—High Park councillor and Planning and Housing Committee chair Gord Perks successfully moved to send it back to staff for further study at council's Feb. 4 meeting. Initially, the proposal began as a request to examine the impacts of iceberg homes, or properties where much of the square footage is built below grade, but has since expanded into a much broader conversation about the protection of trees, as well as swimming pools, infill housing, and underground construction. "It started out a while back as being about iceberg homes, but has since grown into trees and pools, and stars and fields and rocks and rainbows, and all kinds of other things," Perks said. As its name suggests, an iceberg home has most of its living sp...