Following UrbanToronto’s coverage earlier this week of a new proposal in Downtown Markham, less than a kilometre to the west we have updates to another planned community to catch up with. Hilton Markham Suites Hotel Limited has submitted revised plans for Phase 1 of the Markham Suites Redevelopment, which is now proposed as a 42-storey residential tower designed by Giannone Petricone Associates.
The entire site occupies a 41,204m² parcel at the southwest corner of Highway 7 and Warden Avenue, in the Markham Town Centre area half way between Buttonville and Unionville. Addressed to 8500 Warden Avenue and 0 Clegg Road, it is currently home to a 10-storey Hilton Markham Suites Hotel and Conference Centre and a 5-storey long-term suites building, along with surface parking.
Surrounding the site, Markham continues to densify as an urban growth centre with a mix of residential, commercial, office, and recreational uses. To the north and east are low and mid-rise employment lands with institutional and retail sites, while to the west and south, the area features a growing number of high-rise developments.
Designed by Scott Shields Architects, an initial application for the community in 2012 sought to convert part of the hotel into residential units and introduce two 21-storey towers along Clegg Road. By 2020, the vision had expanded significantly with Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications, and a 2021 revision proposed seven towers, including three 55-storey buildings and a 45-storey tower, surrounding the existing hotel.
In 2023, the plan was refined to six towers from 37 to 49 storeys, later revised to five towers from 40 to 55 storeys. It also increased the public park allocation from 1,940m² to 3,273m², combined with 2,105m² of City-owned lands. Now, a consultation request has been submitted for a Site Plan Approval application for Phase 1.
This resubmission proposes a modified slab-style, 42-storey residential tower at the northeast corner of Clegg Road and Courtyard Lane, rising from a tiered podium stepping from 5 to 10 storeys, replacing what had been proposed park area and a point tower in previous plans: this portion of the public parkland has been moved north to the Highway 7 frontage.
Private roads frame Phase One’s north and east sides, The tower would introduce 620 residential units, with a total Gross Floor Area of 38,486m². The proposal includes 952m² of indoor amenities and a sprawling 10,248m² of outdoor amenity space. One level of underground parking would provide 443 spaces, including 432 for residents and 11 accessible uses. While the bicycle parking allocation for residents is yet to be finalized, the by-law requires 312 spaces, and 62 spaces are currently designated for non-residential use.
Located within the Cedarland Major Transit Station Area as this Viva station is only 200m to the east, part of York Region Transit (YRT) bus services along the Highway 7 corridor. Buses connect with Unionville GO station on the Stouffville GO Line, located approximately 1.5km east, or a 15 to 20-minute walk away, with direct service to Downtown Toronto.
This area of Markham continues to see rapid high-rise growth. To the west, proposals include three towers from 17 to 20 storeys at Circa Drive & Highway 7 East, a 37-storey tower at 100-110 Clegg Road, and three towers ranging from 40 to 53 storeys at 3555 Highway 7 East. To the east, Orchid Condos proposes 42- and 45-storey towers, while Phase 6 of the Uptown Markham community features dual 30-storey towers, 36- and 38-storey towers, and Phase 5 under construction with towers rising 40 and 45 storeys. Further northeast, Phase 1 of the Markham Town Square Redevelopment envisions five towers from 25 to 48 storeys, while to the south, Panda Markham plans five towers ranging from 28 to 48 storeys. Further southeast, Downtown Markham’s Block 12 includes towers up to 41 storeys.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you’d like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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