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Revised plans have been submitted for UnionCity South, the next phase of Metropia’s UnionCity community in Markham’s Unionville area. Located just east of the GO Stouffville rail corridor, the resubmission calls for six residential towers ranging from 41 to 45 storeys, down from a previously proposed 49-storey peak height. Designed by Sweeny &Co Architects, replacing an earlier scheme by Arcadis, the mixed-use development would rise within short walking distance of Unionville GO station.
The site is addressed to 2 University Boulevard, occupying its southwest corner with Enterprise Boulevard. Spanning roughly 26,300m² when accounting for associated lands, the site is currently vacant, having remained undeveloped despite long-standing high-rise permissions. It sits within the emerging Markham Centre growth area, where former greenfield conditions are giving way to dense, transit-oriented development.
The lands were first granted permissions for high-rise residential development in 2014, but remained largely dormant for several years before being incorporated into Metropia’s broader UnionCity vision. UnionCity South emerged as the southern counterpart to the approved and under-construction fist phase north of Enterprise Boulevard.
A previous six-tower plan was advanced for the UnionCity South site through planning and site plan stages in 2022 and 2023, before the project was reworked and resubmitted with a new architectural team.
The revised proposal organizes six residential towers across three development phases, maintaining a similar footprint to the earlier scheme while refining heights and massing. The towers would rise 41, 42, and 45 storeys, reaching heights between 141.5m and 150.5m, a step down from the previously proposed peak of 49 storeys and roughly 159.6m. The tallest elements would now be distributed more evenly across the site rather than concentrated in a single dominant tower, with podium-linked buildings framing Enterprise and University boulevards.
Across all phases, 2,608 residential units are proposed. The unit mix would be weighted toward smaller formats, including 180 studios, 1,941 one-bedroom units, 450 two-bedroom units, and 37 three-bedroom units. Gross Floor Area would be 204,791m², closely aligned with the prior plan, though the non-residential component has been scaled back to about 3,200m² of commercial space concentrated at grade, compared with roughly 10,000m² previously. The development would have a Floor Space Index of 9.52 times coverage of the site.
Development would be structured across three phases, with pairs of towers delivered sequentially. The towers would be arranged around a centrally located POPS (Privately Owned Publicly-accessible Space), with podiums framing the perimeter along Enterprise and University boulevards.
Below grade, the proposal calls for a single-level underground garage, with 1,682 spaces allocated to residents, alongside 155 visitor spaces and five spaces serving non-residential uses. This represents an increase from the approximately 1,707 parking spaces proposed previously. Bicycle infrastructure entails 1,794 bicycle parking spaces, including 213 short-term spots, slightly fewer overall than the roughly 1,880 bicycle spaces previously proposed.
The site is located less than 300m east of Unionville GO station, translating to an approximate 3–4 minute walk to the Stouffville Line. Surface transit is anchored by the VIVA Rapidway along Enterprise Boulevard, which runs immediately adjacent to the site and provides frequent bus service across the city.
Development momentum continues to build around the site. Immediately to the west, UnionCity’s first phase is under construction, delivering three towers rising between 36 and 44 storeys. To the northeast, the proposed York University Markham Student Residence would rise 32 storeys, while a high-rise at 28 Main Street is planned at 39 storeys. East of the site, proposals include 55–83 Helen Avenue at 10 and 21 storeys, alongside 8111 Kennedy Road with six towers planned ranging from eight to 42 storeys.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on these developments, but in the meantime, you can learn more about them from our Database files, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversations in the associated Project Forum threads or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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