In The News

The purpose of a City of Markham Development Services Committee Public Meeting Sept.6 was to receive feedback from members of the public on a development proposal. The consensus was a resounding thumbs down.

Owners of the property at 8111 Kennedy Road, currently occupied by the BMW dealership at Helen Avenue, have requested approval to rezone the site from mixed-use, mid-rise residential to mixed-use, high-rise residential.

The proposed development concept comprises seven low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise residential buildings ranging from three to 41 stories.

The site’s total area is 2.7 hectares or 6.7 acres, with 280 metres of frontage along Kennedy Road.

David Charazenko, senior associate with community planning firm Bousfields Inc., represented the owner at the meeting and provided an overview of the proposed development.

The development would offer 1,772 residential units, 2,032 square metres of street-level retail units, and a new 0.268-hectare (0.662-acre) public park. A new road running north to south would dissect the site, with 748 metres of bike lanes and several pedestrian paths.

The complex would have 1,576 vehicle parking spaces and 1,084 bicycle parking spaces.

The proposed density of the development is a floor space index (FSI) of 5.29. FSI means the ratio between the gross floor area of a building to the land area on which it stands.

With proximity to community infrastructure assets, including Markham YMCA, the PanAm Centre, the future York University Markham Centre Campus, and easy access to transit, the site is considered to be within an urban growth centre.

At the onset of the meeting, Development Services Committee Chair Keith Irish stated that “no decision has been made on these applications, and a final decision will not be made tonight.”

The committee heard from approximately fifteen deputants with several concerns about the proposed development.

Most were residents of the South Unionville community, who spoke earnestly about why the scope of the proposed development is harmful to their neighbourhood.

“These residents are going to be living behind the buildings, in the shadows,” said Jerrica Lin, candidate for Public School Board Trustee for Wards 3 and 4 in the upcoming municipal election. She explained she was at the meeting to “be a voice” for area residents who “need to be heard.”