South Unionville residents say no to 41-storey condo towers on Kennedy BMW site

Citizens call for City of Markham to keep close tabs on rezoning proposals

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 13, 2022
Irene Wong

“We already have the plan in place. Why don’t they stick to the plan?”

Tom Han, president of the South Unionville Resident Forum (SURF), asks the question in reference to the 2014 Markham official plan, which designates the area at Kennedy Road and Helen Avenue as mid-rise mixed use.

SURF had been vocal about the proposed development of four condo towers ranging from 23 to 41 storeys, two mid-rise buildings of eight storeys and two townhouse blocks at 8111 Kennedy Rd., currently occupied by the BMW dealership.

Owners of the property have requested approval to rezone the site to mixed-use, highrise residential.

The development would offer 1,772 residential units and 2,032 square metres of street-level retail units. The proposed density of the development has a floor space index (FSI) of 5.29 --meaning ratio between the gross floor area of a building to the land area on which it stands.

A Development Services Committee public meeting was held on Sept. 6 to receive feedback on the proposal. The biggest concern is the substantial increase in population density it would bring to the South Unionville neighbourhood.

“Adding 1,772 units to the existing South Unionville community of 2,054 means a population increase of approximately 86 per cent,” Han noted. “The Volkswagen/Nissan dealership would add additional units.”

Residents continued to express their worries about the impacts the development would have on amenities in their community, including public schools, parks, road traffic, public transit, community centres and hospital.

“There are already three portable classrooms at Unionville Meadows Public School,” Han said. “How can we accommodate thousands of families, which means thousands of students, added to the community?”

“Children need parks and playgrounds. Where are our kids going to play after 1,772 families moved in?”

SURF cited the official plan in a statement: “South Unionville had a promising official plan in the ’90s. For the Kennedy Road 8111 block, which is the BMW dealership today, it was only two storeys and low density in the beginning. In 2014, since Kennedy Road was considered as intensification area, this block was changed to mid-rise and mixed use to allow buildings up to eight storeys.”

“Why would the city allow developers to disrespect the official plan?” Han questioned.

In addition, there is a concern about the mismatch between the development proposal and the Markham Centre Secondary Plan. The Unionville Residents’ Association cited the plan outlines a proposed height maximum within the Markham Centre area of 25 stories and an FSI of four as compared to the proposed maximum 41-story height for the development under review.

They also questioned the timeline for the development, which would not start for at least 10 years, according a discussion in the Aug. 24 community information meeting. The property owner’s representative said the BMW dealership has an approximate lease term it has yet to fulfil of approximately five years and an option to renew for an additional five years.

In the in Sept. 6 meeting, residents strongly urged council to turn down the proposal. They also voiced frustration in the city allowing developers to put forward “irresponsible” proposal. Han says the city should keep close tabs on development proposals.

“We, residents, are working class. We cannot afford the time and effort to fight against ambitious developers who have the greed to make big money from developments,” Han said, adding residents are exhausted by continuous rezoning requests and development proposals.

Ward 3 Coun. Reid McAlpine explained the role of the city in the meeting.

“We could be sitting here tonight considering 100-story towers if that’s what the developer had put forward. We don’t really have a choice. We’re here to deal with it,” McAlpine said. “I just want to reassure everyone --we’re a long way from this decision.”

With more residents being aware of the BMW project, SURF has set up a “Vote Against 8111 Kennedy Project” petition website with almost 500 supporters signing in four weeks.