Asphalt, concrete plant worries waft into Markham neighbourhood

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 29, 2015
By Amanda Persico

Milliken Mills residents are expressing concerns about noise, traffic and dust from a nearby plant.

The catch is, while the residents are in Markham, the plant is in Toronto.

Milliken Mills is a residential area on the north and industrial on the south side of Steeles.

‘Tons of complaints’

With plans for existing asphalt and concrete facilities on Passmore Avenue, south of Steeles, to ramp up operation, residents are worried.

Both cities are undertaking land use studies between Kennedy Road and Midland Avenue.

Now Markham has passed a resolution calling on Toronto to review its zoning regulations for industrial uses in the Passmore Avenue area.

Markham also called on Toronto to apply certain conditions on asphalt and concrete facilities, including buffering and screening, noise and traffic controls, designated truck traffic routes and an environmental protection and monitoring program.

Area Councillor Alex Chiu wants to establish a cross-border committee to deal with the issue.

Residents of Milliken Mills are already dealing with two concrete facilities, Chiu said. One is in the Woodbine Avenue and Denison Street area and the other near 14th Avenue and Hwy. 404.
“These facilities should not be near residents,” he said.

Chiu received ‘tons of complaints’, about the existing facility just outside Markham, he said.

He passes the complaints on to adjacent Toronto councillors.

“I’m fighting a losing battle,” Chiu said. “There’s nothing much I can do, except beg them to slow down or operate less. I tell them, ‘If I hear from my residents, your residents can’t be happy.’”

On the Markham side of Steeles and Midland is a 7-storey condo building. Mon Sheong, a four-building senior’s residence, at Old Kennedy Road and Steeles is under construction.