Source: Globe and Mail
When Aviva Canada Inc. employees head to lunch from their new office tower in 2017, all they’ll have to do is cross the street to stroll a sidewalk lined with restaurants. After work, they’ll walk to bars, shopping and a Cineplex.
That may not be remarkable for office workers in downtown Toronto, but this office will not be in Toronto. This is suburban Markham, northeast of Toronto, on a site that until recently was a cornfield.
Aviva’s new office building that broke ground in February is a core feature of Downtown Markham, a high-density commercial, retail and residential development clustered on pedestrian-friendly streets that will converge at a transit hub.
It’s a radical departure for suburban commercial buildings, says Sheldon Levitt, a partner with Toronto-based Quadrangle Architects Ltd., which is designing the 12-storey tower for Remington Group Inc., with Aviva as the tenant.
“It’s a suburban development in an urban context,” he says. “That seems basic, but it’s revolutionary for office buildings in Toronto’s suburbs, which traditionally tend to be low-rise campuses surrounded by parking.”
There are already close to 1 million square feet of office space built and planned for in the Downtown Markham area, but planners are optimistic they can eventually attract tenants for more than 3 million square feet.
The City of Markham is a 1971 fusion of three historic villages: Thornhill, Unionville and Markham. Each had its own main street, but there was no single downtown. The Downtown Markham plan first took shape 20 years ago and has been evolving toward higher density, says Markham’s Mayor, Frank Scarpitti.
The area south of Unionville to the east of Warden Avenue was frozen for development by the province during the planning and construction of express toll road Highway 407. In 1994, a plan was approved to develop the area with higher commercial density.
The Regional Municipality of York is located in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area and is home to 1.1 million residents and 42,000 business establishments, making it one of Canada’s largest municipalities and the second largest business centre in the Province of Ontario.
Comprised of nine local municipalities, York Region is a premier business location in Canada. The Region is home to operations of 14 Fortune 100 companies, four of Canada’s top 10 corporate R&D investors, Canada’s second largest Information & Communications Technology (ICT) cluster and global industry leaders in Life Sciences, CleanTech, Financial Services and Advanced Manufacturing.
As Canada’s fastest growing large municipality, York Region has one of the most educated and diverse workforces in North America, the lowest commercial property taxes in greater Toronto and an exceptional quality of life attracting top global talent.
York Region’s local municipalities include the City of Markham, the City of Vaughan, the Town of Richmond Hill, the Town of Newmarket, the Town of Aurora, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, the Town of East Gwillimbury, the Town of Georgina and the Township of King.