Downtown Markham is part of city's 21st-century 'exciting story'
Massive development has changed the face of York Region's largest municipality

YorkRegion.com
Jan. 2, 2018
Tim Kelly

The future is now for Markham Downtown, the 243-acre parcel of land also known as Markham Centre.

What could be dubbed Markham’s 21st-century downtown, the area bordered by Highway 7, Highway 407, Warden Avenue and Kennedy Road is home to a growing number of condos, retail businesses, corporate head offices and, early next decade, a York University campus.

Who knows, Amazon might even locate its second corporate office there.

The announcement that Seattle-based Amazon was seeking a second North American corporate saw more than a hundred bids come from all over North America last year including one from Toronto that included a downtown Markham bid.

While it's a long-shot York Region's largest city will get Amazon — Vaughan also is part of the Toronto bid — Markham has a chance.

Markham's downtown will continue to evolve whether the corporate giant descends on Markham or not.

The area currently has 800,000 square feet of office space developed with another 2.2 million planned in the coming decade. There is also two million square feet of retail space planned and the eventual plan is to have 10,000 condos and townhomes built in the area once its complete.

Christina Butterfield, director of digital strategy and communications for the Remington Group, the developer of Markham Downtown, said the area “is part of Markham’s evolution.”

She said the difference between Markham’s vision for a new downtown with what’s being offered in other Greater Toronto Area 905 municipalities is that “you can live there, you can work there, you can play there, but you can also park your car if you’re from outside the neighbourhood.”

She believes that makes the area inviting for visitors and residents alike, citing the Cineplex, a number of exciting restaurants and a new hotel coming to the area.

“Everything is new and fresh. We happen to be one developer so we’re able to control the mix of what happens and we’re trying to tell an exciting story,” said Butterfield.

She said it was important that one developer, Remington, wasn’t afraid to take the massive project on.

“They (Remington) understand the vision. They have a history of waiting until the time is right before building and before developing. Rudy Bratty (Remington founder and president) showed the patience to wait to develop until the right time,” she said.

Butterfield added that the city of Markham was willing to work with the developer to create the “downtown Markham story.”

Its transit connections are also of key importance to its growth and importance she said.

With Highway 7 and Highway 407 as key east-west connectors and Warden and Kennedy on the west and east boundaries, the Viva Rapidway’s development through downtown Markham is an essential recent component. The addition of more GO train service through the Unionville GO train station has made the area a true transit hub.

“It all came together,” said Butterfield.

Downtown Markham earned the Best New Community award at the 2017 BILD awards.