'Not good planning': Markham townhouses expected to be approved Jan. 26

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 23, 2017
By Lisa Queen

A townhouse development is expected to be approved Thursday on Hwy. 7 in Markham despite warnings from York Region planning staff that the proposal does “not reflect good planning.”

The proposal, which will have lower densities than approved by the Ontario Municipal Board, also points to a worrisome trend of developers across the region trying to lower intensification targets on their properties, regional senior planner Josh Reis said.

The 47 townhouses proposed by Peak Garden Development range in height from three to five storeys. They are to be located on Hwy. 7 west of Village Parkway immediately north of the Markham Centre provincially designated urban growth centre. Reis said the project is too low-density in an area where millions of dollars have been invested in public transit requiring intensification for ridership.

Higher densities are also used to accommodate growth while limiting urban sprawl.

Although the OMB in 2013 approved 228 units for the site, of which no more than 19 could be townhouses, the developer wants to respond to an increased market demand for townhouses, said Chris Pereira, an associate with planning consultant M. Behar Planning and Design Inc.

But the development does not represent good planning, said Reis, which led to a heated debate at a regional committee meeting.

The region is being asked to throw out good planning policies of intensification to accommodate changing market conditions faced by the developer, Richmond Hill Councillor Vito Spatafora said.

“I’m astonished that we’re now starting to say well, market conditions have changed and we’re willing to reconsider. Well, that is planning by the seat of your pants and I don’t particularly like that idea,” he said.

“To now say that we are going to continually look at changing these policies in reflection of market conditions astounds me … Setting a precedent of (reducing densities) is frightening.”

Markham Councillor Jack Heath, the only Markham councillor opposed to the development, applauded Spatafora.

“He’s hitting more home runs than I think (Jose) Bautista is going to hit with the Blue Jays this year,” he said, adding putting townhouses on Hwy. 7 has little to do with good planning.

But Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said Markham has and will continue to welcome intensification across the city, especially when Buttonville Airport closes and is developed.

At the same time, he urged councillors to be flexible in accommodating the developer looking to react to a growing demand for townhouses.

Pereira defended the proposal, which he said will be an appropriate level of intensification for the area.

Even though it doesn’t achieve the density approved by the OMB, building townhouses on the site is better than leaving the property vacant for many years, he said.

In the end, only four regional councillors voted against the development at the committee, despite the OMB approving higher densities on the site.

Regional planning staff are worried the development points to a growing trend, Reis said.

“In April of 2015, regional staff highlighted a growing number of similar applications across the region seeking approvals to decrease density,” he said, adding council at the time reiterated its support in favour of protecting higher densities.