Biju Karumanchery, Director of Planning & Urban Design, introduced the item.
Marg Wouters, Senior Manager, Policy & Research provided a presentation entitled “York Region Proposed Growth Forecast to 2051”.
Committee discussed the following relative to the staff presentation:
- Vaughan versus Markham’s employment forecasts;
- The accuracy of past employment and population forecasts for Markham;
- The role resale housing plays in meeting demand for ground oriented housing in Markham;
- The development of all of the whitebelt lands by 2051;
- The 52% intensification rate York Region is proposing for Markham;
- The implications of developing all of Markham’s whitebelt lands now or in the future;
- Opposition from residents to high density development proposals in their communities;
- Managing growth in a way that is respectful to existing residents;
- The consequence of not reaching the proposed growth targets (the province imposing Minister Zoning Orders, and developers appealing application to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal);
- The environmental impact of developing new low-rise developments on whitebelt lands versus intensifying the existing urban area;
- Markham’s growth trends since the early 1980s;
- The impact that increasing intensification in the urban boundary will have on the development of Markham’s whitebelt lands;
- The importance of maintaining employment lands and continuing to attract new businesses to Markham;
- The importance of evaluating employment land conversion requests on their own merit;
- How the use of office space may change after the pandemic;
- The benefits of having employment lands close to the proposed Pickering Airport;
- The road network being planned for north Markham;
- Future employment opportunities being planned for the Markham Gateway to the Rouge Urban National Park;
- The importance of phasing development of the whitebelt lands to manage the cost of growth through urban expansion; ;
- The importance of planning comprehensive rapid transit network improvements that support the growth forecast and new Transit Oriented Communities.
Ms. Wouters responded to inquiries from the Committee. York Region’s population forecasts for Markham have been fairly accurate in the past, but population growth has been slightly lower than forecasted in recent years. Employment growth varies more greatly year to year. Previous to recent changes in the Growth Plan, resale housing rather than new housing was assumed to play a larger role in to meeting the demand for ground oriented housing in Markham. All of Markham’s whitebelt lands are identified for development in York Region’s proposed forecast. As long as the Region-wide intensification target remains at 50%, increasing the amount of intensification within the existing urban boundary in Markham will likely result in higher forecast population growth in Markham, but will not necessarily prevent the need for development of the whitebelt lands. Employment lands are typically located close to major transportation corridors (400-series highways and rail), . The City is seeking expert advice on the location of additional employment lands. The importance of having strong phasing policies to support the development of the whitebelt lands was emphasized.
Christina Kakaflikas, Acting Director, Economic Growth, Culture & Entrepreneurship, advised that Markham Economic Development fosters three types of growth in Markham 1) foreign direct investment; 2) business retention and expansion; and 3) start-up and scale up businesses. Staff have created a package that they use to promote business investment in Markham. The package positions Markham well relative to other local municipalities in terms of knowledge-based talent availability, cost competitiveness, the new York University Markham campus, investments in public transit and proximity to Toronto.
Loy Cheah, Acting Director of Engineering advised that at the December 8, 2020, Development Services Committee meeting, staff recommended, based on a joint study conducted by Markham and York Region, that the conceptual extension of the Donald Cousens Parkway west of Highway 48 be eliminated. This recommendation was made as improvements to the concession and arterial roads in northern Markham (Major Mackenzie Drive, Elgin Mills Road, 19th Avenue, Kennedy Road, Warden Avenue, and Woodbine Avenue) will and can provide the equivalent traffic capacity of the Donald Cousens Parkway extension and sufficiently support future growth in the area. No decision was made on the matter at the December 8th meeting and staff were requested to report back with more information. Staff will report back on the matter in September/October 2021.