The town’s vision is to accommodate future growth without the need to expand into the countryside by intensifying development in specific locations that takes advantage of existing infrastructure, that can be served by public transit, and that will provide a more diverse, mature and sustainable municipality.

Markham Centre will be a focus for community activity and public gatherings and will help define the municipality by providing a mix of housing, offices and institutions, plus recreational, cultural and entertainment opportunities.

Markham Centre’s Guiding Principles:

The town’s guiding principles, in conjunction with performance measures, are intended to further articulate the objectives of Markham Centre and provide a clear direction of expectations for development:

1. The Rouge River valley has a powerful influence on Markham Centre.

2. The transit routes and stops determine the intensity of activity, the focus of public spaces and the concentration of built form.

3. Highway 7 will be transformed from an interregional highway to a major urban boulevard with a concentration of activity, mix of uses and a high quality of urban design.

4. A grid of major and minor streets provides ease of access, which supports the mix and intensity of activity and helps define the structure of Markham Centre.

5. Pubic spaces, streets, courtyards and major urban places contribute to a “sense of place” for Markham Centre.

6. Well-defined streets, building placement and architectural character support public life and year-round activity.

7. Ecological sustainability, which ensures that the built form and public spaces protect and enhance the natural processes of the landscape, will define the future of Markham Centre.

8. Markham Centre will have a town-wide cultural social focus.

9. Maintaining a high quality of life in and around Markham Centre will require managing parking and traffic impacts.

10. Building and sustaining a high quality public environment will require a new financial framework.

11. The value placed on the quality of life in existing, adjacent communities is recognized, respected and supported.

The town has established a variety of performance measures that can be used to –

• Translate community values into measurable goals
• Facilitate citizen participation
• Provide an open, accountable process
• Monitor progress toward established principles
• Enable the incorporation of new technologies and best practices
• Challenge developers to provide new and better solutions
• Support communication with residents and key stakeholders.

The Markham Centre Advisory Committee hosted a series of public workshops and a conference to receive public input with respect to greenlands, transportation, built form, green infrastructure and public spaces. Then, performance measures were identified for each objective and application checklists were prepared.

Easily understood performance indicators were designed so that a “gold,” “silver” or “bronze” rating could be applied to development proposals as an indication of whether they meet or exceed the town’s standards and expectations.

An annual report card will be compiled to summarize the results of the development process, identifying any performance measures that require clarification or revision. This will allow the public and other stakeholders to review the development process as Markham Centre evolves over many years.

Approved by the Ontario Municipal Board in 1997, Amendment No. 21, Central Area Planning District (Markham Centre), sets out the goal of the Markham Centre master plan as creating a “vibrant, intensive mixed-use town centre…with a distinctive character as the urban core of the Town of Markham, which will become the focus of the town, unifying its many communities.”

The objective of the Official Plan amendment is to create a complete and integrated community of pedestrian-oriented neighbourhoods and districts containing a mix of land uses suitable to a town centre, including residential, commercial, employment, open space, and recreational, cultural and institutional facilities.

The residential development aims to create an urban environment that provides for safe, healthy and attractive neighbourhoods and to provide a range of housing types and densities. The commercial development aims to serve local residents and a broader market and to contribute to the mixed use nature of the area. For that reason, retail uses will be oriented to the street (not located inside malls) and service commercial uses will be located on the ground floor of buildings that may have commercial or residential uses above.

The plan calls for a wide range of employment opportunities to provide a high live-work ratio. To further support this goal, employment sites will have a high exposure to roads with transit access and will be permitted in mixed use zones.

Cultural and institutional facilities are also an important part of Markham Centre, to serve local residents and all town residents, and will be fully integrated into the community.

Transportation plans call for a street system that extends and connects with existing streets to facilitate not just auto traffic, but pedestrians and cyclists. The road system will also be designed to highlight the Rouge Valley, other natural features, plus civic, school and park sites. To the extent possible, transit stops will be located so as to allow 85 per cent of the population to be within a five-minute walk.

The Rouge Valley is at the heart of an open space network that is highly accessible and visible. Natural features will be preserved and enhanced, as will heritage features and structures throughout the centre.

Strict urban design guidelines will be applied to ensure attractive streetscapes, appropriate relationships between buildings and streets, key sites for landmark buildings, and opportunities for pedestrian activity. Views to the valley and to other parks and open space will be created and buildings will be placed close to the street with parking behind or below most buildings.