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In a first-of-its-kind pivot for recent development proposals in the Greater Toronto Area, Markham's Buttonville Airport site, previously proposed as a mixed-use development with lots of residential, is now being proposed as an entirely industrial complex. This shift underscores the rising value of industrial land in the Greater Toronto Area, a trend that has been gaining momentum in recent years.
The Buttonville Airport Redevelopment is an ambitious project spearheaded by Cadillac Fairview, operating as "CF Buttonville Developments REC Inc". The developer has submitted Official Plan Amendment, Plan of Subdivision, and Zoning By-law Amendment applications for the site.
The land is located at 2833 16th Ave in Markham, and is situated on the south side of 16th Avenue, east of Highway 404 and west of Woodbine Avenue in Markham's Buttonville neighbourhood.
Rewinding to 2011, the developer submitted their previous plans for the site, which were revised in 2012, envisioning a sprawling mixed-use development comprising of around 875,000m² of area. The ambitious proposal included a dozen or more mid- and high-rise towers, a large water feature surrounded by commercial and office buildings, and a community that would have accommodated about 6,438 residential units and created over 25,000 jobs. After years of negotiations, the developers shelved the proposal in 2020 and had not submitted a new plan — until this month.
Now, the proposed development, designed by Glenn Piotrowski Architect Ltd, is a sprawling 11-block industrial complex of single-storey buildings. This significant departure from the mixed-use neighbourhood initially proposed for the site is a clear indicator of the growing demand and value of industrial land in the region. The entire complex would have a total Gross Floor Area (GFA) of about 258,533m² with the first phase accounting for 54,199m².
The development is designed to accommodate a substantial number of parking spaces, with a total of 2,963 spaces for vehicles, including 407 for Phase 1. The phase is also designed to include 80 spaces for bicycles, with the eventual total bicycle parking yet to be determined. Phase 1 is planned to feature two buildings on the west-end of the site.
The site is positioned near major roads and public transit options, making it easily accessible. It is situated a short drive north along Highway 404 of both Highway 7 and 407 interchanges, and is also served by several York Region Transit (YRT) routes. The York Region's 10-year Road Construction Program will see 16th Avenue widened to 6 lanes including high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, with construction planned to commence in 2025.
In addition, the Region of York's Transportation Master Plan from October 2016 identifies Woodbine Avenue as a future rapid transit corridor. This signifies that Woodbine Avenue is a candidate for transit enhancements such as bus-priority lanes and connections to other elements of the transit priority network in the future.
The shift from a mixed-use proposal to a purely industrial one highlights the changing dynamics of land use and the increasing demand for industrial land in the GTA. As land for industrial expansion becomes increasingly rare, it will be interesting to see if this instance becomes the first of a trend for development proposals in the region.
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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