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I work in Markham and Downtown Markham is a jumbled mess and very poorly planned. The developer Remington is just awful and while the potential is there the layout and connectivity of the area is centred on the car. While there is some activity, it feels more like a drive to destination rather than a walking or transit destination. The details as Northern Light points out are just out of whack. For example, why were the office buildings built so far from transit, when we know employment is a huge trip generator. Why are the office buildings surrounded by oceans of parking, instead of having some underground or shared with a condo/retail/office/retail complex? There is very poor transit to the area, which is why Aviva has it’s own shuttle services to Finch and Square One - surely YRT could extend the business express or Viva Pink to ‘Downtown Markham’. Viva’s current route that comes every 15 mins - which has awkwardly placed stops (e.g. why no Birchmount stop but it’s 2 blocks east of the actual intersection). Another example is the GO station. Why does Metrolink/GO not have an exit from the station to the WEST to service Downtown Markham. Instead the only way out is to go through the parking lot east and then double back west on Enterprise. Which city planner designed this road? The connectivity is broken here. Instead of making the GO Unionville a viable connection to the employment node, it heavily discourages it with a 20min+ walk which is unpleasant - failing the last mile test. The result is that almost everyone drives to this Downtown Markham development as transit is pretty useless except for a small minority.

I too am surprised that the development seems to have halted mid-way and not much has been built in the last 10 years, while VMC has grown like weeds and seems to be much better thought out with better connectivity and useful transportation links. I’m saddened by the wasted opportunity here. The potential is there but the execution is just awful.
 
I feel York Region and Metrolinx not prioritizing the completion of the Viva Rapidway from Birchmount to Unionville GO and Kennedy via YMCA Blvd (H3.4) is a major contributor to the slow down of Downtown Markham development and its expanding eastward. Rather than getting developers to pay for the building of roads and infrastructure, the city and province should do it beforehand. If the underpass was built for the bus right of way, there will definitely be a sidewalk or mixed use path to enhance connectivity.
 
Say hello 👋 to scooty in Markham!
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I have been there a few times and I see a success story. Though a long time coming the opening of the York building as well as several projects under construction it is moving in the right direction. I imagine that Downtown Markham is seeing more activity than 90% of US downtowns!
 
swampymudkip said:
Looks like a driving range / outdoor mini golf area is coming to DTM.

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Looks like their "master plan" is going to take another 25+ years... so disappointing, I've lived here 10 years already, this place isnt even close to 10% filled.

I'm also sad that another bank (BMO) is opening up in the Gallery Towers Retail, I mean, how many more banks, spa, cosmetic retail do we need ?

I hope they open a good Food Hall (I think its supposed to be an art gallery? meh), that space across from Pears (must add that resto is a win for the area, need more of these storefronts)
 
DTMarkhamResident said:
Looks like their "master plan" is going to take another 25+ years... so disappointing, I've lived here 10 years already, this place isnt even close to 10% filled.

I'm also sad that another bank (BMO) is opening up in the Gallery Towers Retail, I mean, how many more banks, spa, cosmetic retail do we need ?

I hope they open a good Food Hall (I think its supposed to be an art gallery? meh), that space across from Pears (must add that resto is a win for the area, need more of these storefronts)
Click to expand...
They were already promoting DT Markham when I first moved to Markham in 2007 lol
 
Given how terrible traffic in Markham has become, it’s hard not to feel a sense of resignation every time you venture out during rush hour—or even midday. What was once a relatively manageable suburb has turned into a maze of gridlock, bottlenecks, and endless construction zones. The frustration is no longer just a temporary nuisance; it’s becoming part of daily life, eroding the quality of even the simplest routines.


In this context, perhaps it’s not the worst thing that the pace of development in Downtown Markham is slow. As much as we all looked forward to the vision of a vibrant, urban core with walkable streets, thriving businesses, and new residential options, the reality is that infrastructure hasn’t kept up. More towers, more people, more cars—all of it has poured into a road network that’s already stretched to its limits. The idea of slowing down, of taking a breath before adding more density, suddenly feels less like a loss and more like a reluctant necessity.


It’s a sad reflection of where things stand. Markham had such promise—an opportunity to lead with smart growth and balanced planning. But now, with traffic swallowing hours of people’s lives and tempers fraying at every intersection, the slowdown feels more like a pause born of pressure than a deliberate choice. One can only hope that this time will be used wisely—to rethink, to reinvest, and to make sure that when Downtown Markham does grow again, it does so in a way that lifts the whole community, rather than adding to its growing fatigue.
 
Traffic is a symptom of a poorly designed city that’s way too reliant on the car to get around. Downtown Markham, which is Remingtons development is be try poorly done. Just as a key example is that transit services are awful and distances are way too far to walk to anything. Here are 3 problems just with transportation:
1)The development should have started around Unionville GO by making it the hub. Most of the traffic, especially commercial is regional and mostly comes from 407. Birchmount makes no sense as the core intersection as it’s midway between two 407 entrances. There is no solution for the last mile between the GO station and much of the development.

2)Transit service is awful. The Viva services are infrequent and the stop is in a terrible spot (why is the stop at Andre Agassi way at the east end of the cineplex complex rather than at Birchmount?). Rush hour services of 18-20mins is not going to encourage anyone to take transit. The TTCs Birchmount bus has the most frequent service there but it’s slow as it’s a local bus and doesn’t address the regional demand nor the local demand.
3)Parking a sea. An urban core should not have this much surface parking. It just encourages driving and makes distances between buildings much further. Also the placement of building should have been all along Enterprise as the high street to build a street wall.

I’m curious to see how VMC compares as it’s developing faster and it’s centred around the subway hub.
 
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