Downtown Markham, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Downtown Markham is a community under construction within the Town of Markham
, Ontario
, Canada
. The community is located within the subdivision of Markham Centre, and is proposed to serve as the heart of Markham. Downtown Markham, once completed, will serve as a CBD
to the town, hiring as many as 16,000 employees , as well as a home to approximately 10,000 with the proposed medium to high density residential structures. The community is being developed, built and wholly financed by The Remington Group Inc. Contrary to popular belief, to date (2009), Downtown Markham has not used provincial or municipal funding for any construction. The downtown features Montgomery High Street, which is planned to be Markham's premier retail destination .
Occupancy begins in April 2009, when the first "set" of condos are finished its completion.
Downtown Markham refers to an area south of Highway 7, west of Kennedy Road / Main Street Unionville
, east of Warden Avenue, and north of Highway 407 ETR.
On the other hand, Markham Centre refers to a broader area. Markham Centre is bounded north to Apple Creek Boulevard / Carlton Road, east to Kennedy Road, west to Rodick Road, and south to 14th Avenue.
The community was planned in 1992. The Town of Markham has approved the plan, according to Markham's former mayor, Donald Cousens. It was planned out that the community will be entirely self-sustained, transit-oriented, using Smart Growth
. Construction began in 2005, when Enterprise Drive was completed.
. The community will try to limit urban sprawl by creating a denser urban centre. The urban centre is planned to be a transit-oriented community, with everything close by and fully transit dependent. In addition, the community was also planned to have be environmentally sustainable as well.
The community was planned by the Town of Markham, in co-operation with the Remington Group. The Remington Group is mainly in charge of constructing most of the structures across this new community.
According to the plan approved by the town council, the community will contain structures such as condos, townhouses and office buildings. Some of these structures have already begun construction. In particular, the Honeywell Office building has already been completed.
Downtown Markham has been nominated as the country's largest mixed-used development, as well as North America's largest LEED (leadership-in-energy-and-environmental-design) registered development.
, and GO Trains
.
and west to Hamilton
.
bus rapid transit system. Warden and Enterprise are served by three lines: Viva Purple
, Viva Green
, and Viva Pink
, while Unionville Station is only served by Viva Pink. As of 2011, Viva Purple
is the only line with all-day service, the other lines operate only during rush hour. It is scheduled that when Downtown Markham is fully functional and occupied, Viva Green
will return to full service. The community is anticipated to be highly dependent on these transit routes, as part of the planned smart growth.
Viva Purple connects the locale to Cornell
and York University
; Viva Green connects the locale to Don Mills Station
and Cornell
; Viva Pink connects the locale to North York City Centre
.
Other bus routes that serve the area include:
also serves the area. Unionville Station
is located within Downtown Markham. It is on the Stouffville Line, which operates only during rush hours. The GO Train connects the locale to Stouffville and Downtown Toronto
.
.
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The community is located within the subdivision of Markham Centre, and is proposed to serve as the heart of Markham. Downtown Markham, once completed, will serve as a CBD
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
to the town, hiring as many as 16,000 employees , as well as a home to approximately 10,000 with the proposed medium to high density residential structures. The community is being developed, built and wholly financed by The Remington Group Inc. Contrary to popular belief, to date (2009), Downtown Markham has not used provincial or municipal funding for any construction. The downtown features Montgomery High Street, which is planned to be Markham's premier retail destination .
Occupancy begins in April 2009, when the first "set" of condos are finished its completion.
Downtown Markham and Markham Centre
Downtown Markham will be a community within Markham Centre, and will consist of mostly commercial buildings.Downtown Markham refers to an area south of Highway 7, west of Kennedy Road / Main Street Unionville
Main Street Unionville
Main Street Unionville is a collector route that runs through the historical suburban community of Unionville, Ontario. Like most other Main Streets, the street serves as an important road for local tourism development. All along the road, the street has structures that are virtually unchanged from...
, east of Warden Avenue, and north of Highway 407 ETR.
On the other hand, Markham Centre refers to a broader area. Markham Centre is bounded north to Apple Creek Boulevard / Carlton Road, east to Kennedy Road, west to Rodick Road, and south to 14th Avenue.
History
Smart growth
Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a...
. Construction began in 2005, when Enterprise Drive was completed.
Strategies of Downtown Markham
Downtown Markham is using a development strategy named smart growthSmart growth
Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a...
. The community will try to limit urban sprawl by creating a denser urban centre. The urban centre is planned to be a transit-oriented community, with everything close by and fully transit dependent. In addition, the community was also planned to have be environmentally sustainable as well.
The community was planned by the Town of Markham, in co-operation with the Remington Group. The Remington Group is mainly in charge of constructing most of the structures across this new community.
According to the plan approved by the town council, the community will contain structures such as condos, townhouses and office buildings. Some of these structures have already begun construction. In particular, the Honeywell Office building has already been completed.
Downtown Markham has been nominated as the country's largest mixed-used development, as well as North America's largest LEED (leadership-in-energy-and-environmental-design) registered development.
Transportation
The primary modes of transportation in Downtown Markham are: Regional Roads, municipal roads, a toll highway, bus rapid transitViva (bus rapid transit)
Viva is a bus rapid transit service operating in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Viva service is integrated with York Region Transit's local bus service to operate as one regional transit system providing seamless transit service across York Region and connections to northern Toronto.Viva was...
, and GO Trains
GO Transit
GO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
.
York Regional Roads
The community is bounded with three York Regional Roads, which are numbered as 3 (Kennedy Road), 7 (Highway 7), and 65 (Warden Avenue).Municipal Roads
Most of the roads across the community are municipally funded local roads. The only two roads serving as major arterials are Enterprise Drive and Birchmount Road. Both roads have four lanes and a median divider.Toll Highway
Highway 407 serves the community with exits on Warden Avenue and Kennedy Road. The highway leads east to PickeringPickering, Ontario
Pickering is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the largest metropolitan area in Canada.- Early Period :...
and west to Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
.
Bus Rapid Transit
The community is served by the Warden, Enterprise and Unionville stops on the VIVAViva (bus rapid transit)
Viva is a bus rapid transit service operating in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Viva service is integrated with York Region Transit's local bus service to operate as one regional transit system providing seamless transit service across York Region and connections to northern Toronto.Viva was...
bus rapid transit system. Warden and Enterprise are served by three lines: Viva Purple
Viva Purple
Viva Purple, or the York University/Richmond Hill/Cornell line, is a line on the Viva bus rapid transit system in York Region, north of Toronto, Canada...
, Viva Green
Viva Green
Viva Green, or the Don Mills-McCowan-Cornell line, is a bus rapid transit line in York Region, north of Toronto, Canada.There are 11 stations on the Viva Green line between Don Mills Station and McCowan Road in Markham...
, and Viva Pink
Viva Pink
Viva Pink, or the Finch-Richmond Hill-Unionville line, is a bus rapid transit line in York Region, north of Toronto, Canada.There are eighteen stations on the Viva Pink line, plus one proposed :...
, while Unionville Station is only served by Viva Pink. As of 2011, Viva Purple
Viva Purple
Viva Purple, or the York University/Richmond Hill/Cornell line, is a line on the Viva bus rapid transit system in York Region, north of Toronto, Canada...
is the only line with all-day service, the other lines operate only during rush hour. It is scheduled that when Downtown Markham is fully functional and occupied, Viva Green
Viva Green
Viva Green, or the Don Mills-McCowan-Cornell line, is a bus rapid transit line in York Region, north of Toronto, Canada.There are 11 stations on the Viva Green line between Don Mills Station and McCowan Road in Markham...
will return to full service. The community is anticipated to be highly dependent on these transit routes, as part of the planned smart growth.
Viva Purple connects the locale to Cornell
Cornell, Ontario
Cornell is a new community being developed in northeast Markham, Ontario and bounded by Highway 407, 16th Avenue, Ninth Line, and the Don Cousens Parkway.-History:...
and York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
; Viva Green connects the locale to Don Mills Station
Don Mills (TTC)
Don Mills is the eastern terminus station of the Sheppard line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is also a "Vivastation" on the Viva Green line of York Region's Viva bus rapid transit system...
and Cornell
Cornell, Ontario
Cornell is a new community being developed in northeast Markham, Ontario and bounded by Highway 407, 16th Avenue, Ninth Line, and the Don Cousens Parkway.-History:...
; Viva Pink connects the locale to North York City Centre
North York, Ontario
North York is a dissolved municipality within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the central part of the northern section of Toronto. As of the 2006 Census, it has a population of 635,370. The official 2001 census count was 608,288...
.
Other bus routes that serve the area include:
- TTC 68 Warden
- YRT 8 Kennedy
- YRT 1 Highway 7
GO Transit
GO TransitGO Transit
GO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
also serves the area. Unionville Station
Unionville (GO Station)
Unionville GO Station is a train and bus station in the GO Transit network located in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Stouffville commuter railway line...
is located within Downtown Markham. It is on the Stouffville Line, which operates only during rush hours. The GO Train connects the locale to Stouffville and Downtown Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Environmental Sustainability
The community reserves 72 acres (291,373.9 m²) as a natural reserve, which includes an ecologically sensitive area, Rouge RiverRouge River (Ontario)
The Rouge River is a two river system. Little Rouge and Rouge River are in the east and the northeast parts of Toronto and begin in the Oak Ridges Moraine in Richmond Hill and Whitchurch-Stouffville...
.