Design underway for first phase of York U's Markham Centre campus

Toronto's York University is poised to start construction next fall on the initial phase of a new campus in Markham, Ont., the first such campus to be built in York Region.

Dailycommercialnews.com
Sept. 26, 2017
By Patricia Williams

Slated to be home initially to more than 4,000 students, the Markham Centre campus will be constructed on a five-acre site near the corner of Enterprise Boulevard and Rivis Road.

The Ontario government is contributing $127 milllion to help fund the project. The site, valued at $27 million in 2016, is being provided by the City of Markham.

York Region will contribute $25 million. York University has embarked on a fundraising campaign for additional funds. The total project cost has not yet been announced.

"York Region is the largest municipality in North America without a university campus," said Bud Purves, president of the York University Development Corporation, the university's development arm.

"That will come to an end in 2021 when we open the Markham Centre campus."

Provincial government funding, crucial for the creation of the campus, was announced in early June.

In March 2014, the province released a competitive call for proposals to post-secondary institutions for new projects that would serve areas of the province where future demand for undergraduate education will be strong and gaps in access expected.

The government received 19 final submissions.

The York University Markham Centre proposal, made in partnership with Seneca College, was selected for its potential to deliver undergraduate education to a rapidly growing community, media statements have noted.

The new campus will offer more than 20 degree programs. York will work with academic partner Seneca College to provide several joint programs.

Purves, whose corporation is involved in the planning and development of university-owned lands, said York is anxious for the campus to be fully integrated into the community.

"We are looking to acquire as many non-academic services as we can within the community," he said. "We want the campus itself to focus on the core business of the university."

At the moment, schematic design is underway on the first phase, which Purves said consists of a 350,000 to 400,000 square foot building. Architects are Diamond Schmitt Architects, part of the original team put together to prepare the bid to the province.

"We're basically designing the building from the inside out," Purves said, noting that the "first and foremost" priority is to accommodate the needs of academic users within the budget.

He said York hopes to tender the project by next spring or early summer. A decision has not been made at this juncture as to whether contractors will be prequalified to bid, nor has a decision been made on the contract delivery method.

"We are pretty much schedule and budget-driven at this point in time," Purves said.

Some site work will be done in advance of a construction start.

Two additional buildings could be constructed "over the course of time" on the campus, located near the Markham Pan Am Centre. The site is already serviced by 15 transit routes.

York University is Canada's third largest university.