Over time, Downtown Markham will grow into a lively city centre, abuzz with activity day and night.

Downtown Markham will be defined by international stores and local shops, gourmet restaurants and intimate cafés, a variety of urban parks and a majestic river valley, entertainment day and night, beautiful residences and state-of-the-art commercial buildings all within a short stroll of each other.

On 243 acres in the very heart of the Greater Toronto Area a lively, mixed-use urban downtown is emerging! It will reflect all that we love about the great city centres of Europe and North America.

Finely appointed condominiums and urban town manors will take their place comfortably within walking distance of the best restaurants, sophisticated retail brands, and office buildings that cozy up to sidewalks.

Wave au revoir!  to stores inside fluorescent-lit shopping mall fortresses surrounded by a sea of surface parking, and say bienvenue!  to charming streetscapes basking in natural light.

Parks and public squares – offering respite from the cares of the day – will balance the urban lifestyle of this dynamic downtown.

In time, 9,500 people will call Downtown Markham home, and 16,000 will be working right in the core of Downtown Markham’s leading-edge commercial ventures. For the first time in the suburbs, people will have the option of walking, cycling or taking a short bus ride to work.

Downtown Markham represents the future :

• progressive
• sustainable
• environmentally responsible
• transit-supportive
• pedestrian-friendly
• a model to accommodate growth in a way that vastly improves one’s lifestyle.

Almost 15 years ago, the residents and businesses of Markham sat down with their civic leaders to change course and plan for a prosperous future.

Long before gasoline prices soared above $1 per litre, they realized that traffic congestion and marathon daily commutes were hurting family life, the economy and the environment.

They decided to re-invent Markham to find solutions to protect farmland and precious countryside. They decided to locate residences, employment, shops and services all within walking distance of one another.

They decided to create a intimate area where people could meet all their daily needs and they called it Markham Centre.

Today, the very heart of this mixed-use downtown centre is coming to life. Downtown Markham borrows heavily from successful urban settings around the world where squares and parks complement animated streets, and where townhomes and condos reside in harmony with corporate offices, stores and entertainment venues.

Downtown Markham invites those who live and work here and all those who will visit to enjoy its many amenities and attractions to…settle for everything!