The emerging trend of transforming malls into diverse and dense mixed-use communities has already taken the GTA by storm in recent years, but the movement is only accelerating further. Following a formal application for an Official Plan Amendment submitted by Cadillac Fairview in late-June, we can now report that the next mall up for redevelopment is Markham’s well-trafficked Markvillle Mall.

Occupying a nearly 70-acre site at the northeast corner of Highway 7 and McCowan Road, the proposal contemplates the intensification of the site with 14 new buildings ranging from six to 45 storeys that would deliver a total of roughly 4,340 units, a collection of public parks and Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS), and a pair of above-grade parking decks. As for the fate of the mall itself, the proposal sees the shopping centre as the heart of the community, and intends to retain the structure in its entirety. 

Looking northeast at the conceptual massing of the Markville Mall Redevelopment, image from submission to City of Markham  

Enlisting Urban Strategies Inc. to preside over the master-plan and design of the future community, their approach to the project was guided by the following principles:

  • Support the continued economic viability of the Mall and its supporting infrastructure, including parking
  • Create a complete community with the Mall as an anchor, supported by a balanced mix of land uses and built form, where people can live, work, learn, and play
  • Create a vibrant public realm, with a connected network of parks and open spaces
  • Promote multi-modal connectivity and movement through a network of public and private streets and other connectors within the mall, throughout the site, and to/from the surrounding community
  • Take advantage of the Site’s excellent location at a transit nexus through intensification and transit-supportive built form and uses, with greater densities closer to transit stops along Highway 7 and near the Centennial GO Station
  • Create a cohesive, green, and vibrant edge which facilitates safe pedestrian movement and connections to the surrounding community, and strengthens the site's relationship to the Rouge Valley

Taking a closer look at the site plan, eight of the 14 buildings outlined in the proposal are comprised of towers. Four of the buildings feature two towers rising from a shared podium, making a grand total of 12 towers, while the remainder of the residential structures are six-storey mid-rise buildings. The positioning of the buildings is one of the key factors in achieving the above development guidelines. The tallest structures are located on the prominent corners of the site, with the northern cluster of towers sited closest to Centennial GO Station, while the shorter structures border the low-rise nieghbourhood to the northwest, providing an appropriate height transition. 

Looking southwest at the placement of the buildings relative to the existing context, image from submission to City of Markham

Beyond the injection of high levels of urban-style density, the proposal has sought to develop a strategy to prioritize pedestrian circulation across the auto-oriented site, and increase livability through the creation of a series of public spaces. A total of 17,800m² of parkland is proposed, split between three public parks and two POPS. With the mall occupying the centre of the site, the parks, like the buildings, have been positioned around the periphery of the community.

Site plan shows location of parks and POPS, image from submission to City of Markham

The intention is that the parks will provide the necessary greenspace for the dense community to be able to enjoy the outdoors in a meaningful way, while the POPS will be more flexible in terms of programming. Different community events like farmers markets, art exhibitions, or live performances could be hosted to animate the community and encourage engagement with the public spaces from residents as well as the wider community. 

The two POPS would offer spaces that can accommodate community programming, image from submission to City of Markham

Interestingly, the entire master-plan has been framed around a rather restrictive agreement between Cadillac Fairview and several of the mall’s anchor tenants, detailing three different ‘No Build Zones’ across the site. The logic is that a certain amount of space surrounding the tenants is needed to ensure customers can park and access the store freely, and that loading and servicing can continue without obstruction, so an agreement is made to restrict any development on that zone for the duration of the tenant’s lease. The tenants currently maintaining No Build Zones include Best Buy, leasing until 2038, Walmart, with a lease running until 2052, and The Bay, leasing until 2085. When these leases expire, the project could see another round of development to further intensify the site. 

No build zones restrict development on certain areas of the site, image from submission to City of Markham

The proposal also details a phasing strategy to bring the community to life over an undetermined period of years. The plan prioritizes the highest density cluster of buildings in the first phase, beginning with the southeast node, and moving counterclockwise from there. Phase 1 will include 1,800 units, followed by another 560 in phase 2; phase 3 will deliver 960 more units after that, and the final phase will finish things off with another 1,000 units. 

The development would be constructed in four phases, image from submission to City of Markham

Submitted to the City of Markham in June, the proposal demonstrates that the processes of urbanization are being executed across the GTA with more awareness of what makes a complete community. The emphasis on improving transit ridership along with the inclusion of a wide range of uses within a master-plan promises a healthier and more sustainable community in the long term. How the design will come together remains to be seen however, but more details will not be made available until the project reaches the Site Plan Approval stage. 

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.

* * *

UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.

Related Companies:  JORG - Renderings & Interactive, Urban Strategies Inc.