REPORT TO DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE
TO:	Mayor and Members of Council
FROM:	Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services
	Valerie Shuttleworth, Director, Planning & Urban Design
PREPARED BY:	Markham Centre Team Richard Kendall, Senior Project Coordinator, ext. 6588
DATE OF MEETING:	2006-01-10
SUBJECT:	Street Naming – Markham Centre Enterprise Boulevard, YMCA Boulevard, and Rivis Road

RECOMMENDATION:

That the report dated January 10, 2006, entitled “Street Naming – Markham Centre:

Enterprise Boulevard, YMCA Boulevard and Rivis Road” be received;

That the extension of Enterprise Boulevard through the Remington lands be formally named Enterprise Boulevard; that the former access road to the Unionville GO Station be named YMCA Boulevard; and, that the north/south connecting road between the Enterprise Boulevard extension and proposed YMCA Boulevard be named Rivis Road;

And that staff be directed to prepare the appropriate by-laws to formally name these streets.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to identify and recommend names for the recently reconstructed access road to the Unionville GO Station and a mid-block local road connecting the access road to the easterly extension of Enterprise Boulevard in Markham Centre’s East Precinct. The report also recommends formally naming the extension of Enterprise Boulevard through the Remington lands, in advance of the subdivision agreement being finalized.

BACKGROUND:

In 2001, the Town adopted By-law 2001-229 to name the first section of road in the Remington lands, adjacent to the Motorola building, Enterprise Boulevard. The Remington Group has now completed Enterprise Boulevard from east of Motorola through to the future southerly extension of Sciberras Road, and have recently transferred the road allowance to the Town.

In addition, the Town has recently reconstructed the access road leading into the Unionville GO Station, as well as constructed a new local street between the easterly extension of Enterprise Boulevard under the GO line, and the GO access road. These road connections represent the first components of a new road network intended to serve Markham Centre. In conjunction with the opening of the roads they must be formally named. While the acquisition and naming of streets would normally occur through the subdivision process, the subject lands have been acquired through separate agreements and have not been assigned names.

DISCUSSION:

The access road into Unionville GO Station was operating as a private road until being acquired by the Town in March, 2004, through an agreement of purchase and sale with the Ontario Realty Corporation. This agreement was also tied into the acquisition of the lands for the new Markham Family YMCA. In August of 2003, the YMCA requested that staff give consideration to naming this street YMCA Boulevard, in recognition of their new YMCA building being the first significant development within Markham Centre’s East Precinct. Neither York Region nor the Fire Department had any objections to the use of this name and it was placed on the Town’s street name reserve list.

The recently completed north/south street, immediately east of the new GO underpass, which connects YMCA Boulevard with the easterly extension of Enterprise Boulevard is a four-lane local road with a modest length of 215 metres. It is anticipated that only two future development parcels are likely to have frontage on this street. Thomas Rivis was suggested as a name which could be used for this street, reflecting one of the original farmsteads in this area. Thomas Rivis was a farmer of English birth who came to Canada with his wife, Ann, and their daughter Sarah, in 1837. In 1843, Rivis purchased the east 100 acres of Lot 8, Concession 5 and lived in a log house on the property. About 1855, he built a brick farmhouse that still stands on its original site, within the southerly portion of the YMCA property. The Rivis family owned the property until 1869. Thomas Rivis Road was not acceptable to the Fire Department, as it too closely resembled another Markham street name (Thomas Reid Road). Rivis Road, however, was approved by both York Region and the Fire Department, and is to be placed on the street name reserve list.

It is therefore recommended that the extension of Enterprise Boulevard through the Remington lands be formally named Enterprise Boulevard; that the former access road to the Unionville GO Station be named “YMCA Boulevard”; and that the north/south local street between YMCA Boulevard and the easterly extension of Enterprise Boulevard be named “Rivis Road”.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

There are no financial considerations associated with this report.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

There are no environmental considerations associated with this report.

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

There are no accessibility considerations associated with this report.

ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:

The proposal aligns with the Town’s corporate Goal of Managed Growth, Quality Community and Infrastructure Management.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

The proposed street names have been reviewed with York Region and the Fire Department and are acceptable to both Agencies.

Figure 1 – Location Map

Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Director of Planning & Urban Design

Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Commissioner of Development Services

Q:\Development\Planning\Teams\Markham Centre\Coordinator\DSC Street Naming Enterprise, Rivis and Ymca report.doc