York Region's future Annex administrative building will save $26 million over 30 years

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 20, 2016
By Lisa Queen

York Region should save almost $1 million a year over three decades once the new Annex administrative centre is built in Newmarket, corporate services commissioner, Dino Basso, says.

Construction of the new $212.8 million building at Yonge and Eagle streets adjacent to the regional headquarters will begin in early 2017 and is expected to take four years to complete.

Doane House Hospice will remain at the corner of Yonge and Eagle.

The Annex will consolidate a number of services, including public health clinics, social services, Ontario Works, housing services, provincial offences courts, the York Small Business Enterprise Centre and Access York customer service, under one roof.

Housing the services in the Annex will save the region $26 million over 30 years by consolidating a variety of satellite locations throughout Newmarket rather than continuing to lease or invest in aging facilities, Basso said

Leases at the Tannery Mall at 465 Davis Dr., 520 Cane Pkwy. and 1091 Gorham St. will end when staff from those locations move into the Annex in 2020.

The region is still determining the future use of its leased location at 17310 Yonge once the Annex opens.

Meanwhile, the region is also determining the future use of properties it owns at 22 Prospect St., 62 Bayview Pkwy., 194 and 55 Eagle St. and the Gates of York plaza at 17310 Yonge.

WZMH Architects designed the building and it will be constructed by a builder to be determined after the tender closes in September.

In the spring of 2015, 10 months after council endorsed a previous decision to build the Annex adjacent to the regional headquarters, two councillors tried to have the project relocated.

Markham Councillor Jim Jones and Vaughan Councillor Michael Di Biase argued the building should be constructed at Yonge and Hwy. 7, where Richmond Hill, Markham and Vaughan intersect, because it would serve more people in the more densely populated south part of the region.

A few weeks later, they abandoned the idea, saying there was no appetite around the council table to change the location.