Construction will wrap up over the coming months on H&W Development Corp.'s Fontana, a four-building Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed condominium development adding new density to an increasingly urban Downtown Markham. Ranging from ten to fifteen storeys tall, Fontana's four buildings take up a full city block near the intersection of Highway 7 and Warden Avenue, on a block bound by Cedarland Drive to the south, Clegg Road to the north, and South Town Centre Boulevard to the west.

Fontana viewed from the southwest, image by Jimmy Wu

While the two west buildings have been topped off and fully clad for quite some time now, the two buildings at the east end of the site are now approaching exterior completion as well. When we last checked in on the development back in July, the southeast structure had just topped off, and in the time since, its tower crane has been disassembled and its precast concrete cladding has been largely installed. In the coming months, both east buildings are expected to receive their final balcony glazing and have their construction hoists removed.

Fontana viewed from the southeast, image by Jimmy Wu

The development, has been built with urban densities in mind, going out to the property lines, flush against newly paved sidewalks and planters that have created a pedestrian realm surrounding the site. This type of planning comes of Markham's ongoing effort to create a functioning downtown with walkable streets, enough density to foster life on the sidewalk, and a mix of residential and employment lands.

Fontana viewed from the southwest, image by Jimmy Wu

One of the most important elements in the growth of Downtown Markham has been the improvement of local transit accessibility. Just south of Fontana, residents will enjoy convenient access to the newly-built Cedarland Station on VIVA's Highway 7 Rapidway, a section of bus rapid transit (BRT) line that recently was added to the service. Markham is still going to attract drivers though too, so Fontana residents will be situated just a few minutes drive from major highways 407 and 404.

Fontana viewed from the south, image by Jimmy Wu

Want to know more about Fontana? Additional information and renderings can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.