Markham councillors have voted to move ahead with a plan for about 2,800 homes and a large new park in the city's northeast, while promising residents of the neighbouring hamlet a meeting about their wells and other concerns.
At a development services public meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 20, members considered an official plan amendment for Treasure Hill, a site south of 19th Avenue and west of Highway 48. The application from Markham 11120 Hwy 48 Developments Ltd. and EL-EN Realty Limited would allow about 2,800 homes, mostly detached houses and townhouses, along with a 16-hectare (40-acre) city-wide public park.
Neighbours worried about wells and traffic
Two residents of nearby Dickson Hill spoke at the meeting. One questioned why this land is being developed before the land to its south, and raised concerns about traffic safety on Highway 48, the loss of farmland, wildlife habitat and a rural way of life, and the prospect that only expensive homes would be built. He asked for more trees, bigger parks and trails. Both residents asked how the private wells their homes rely on would be protected, and who would pay if they were damaged.
A representative of the applicant said a hydrogeology study has been completed and submitted to the city, and that its recommendations will guide construction to protect groundwater and private wells.
Why an official plan change is needed
Members of council asked why an official plan amendment was needed when the lands are covered by a minister's zoning order, a provincial tool that sets zoning directly. Staff explained that such an order can change zoning but does not amend the city's official plan. The city wants the two to match, staff said, particularly for parkland, because later steps such as conveying park land or severing lots require official plan conformity.
Staff also said three heritage houses on the property are under review, and that the draft zoning order permits commercial and retail uses.
Pipes, pumps and timing
Engineering staff said the development would be connected to municipal water and sewers. In the interim, a new sewage pumping station would send wastewater east to York Region's Ninth Line trunk sewer. In the long term, 15 or more years away, it would pump west once the region extends the McCowan trunk sewer north to 19th Avenue. Water would come from a connection to the McCowan watermain, with a booster pumping station until the region builds a new reservoir.
Dickson Hill homeowners may be able to apply to connect to municipal water once a public main is installed and taken over by the city, staff said, though a sewer connection would be more complicated. The applicant said earthworks could begin in the summer of 2026, with broader infrastructure work starting late in the year.
The motion, moved by Mayor Frank Scarpitti and seconded by Regional Coun. Jim Jones, approves the amendment at a future council meeting without further notice. It also directs the local councillor to hold a community information meeting with Dickson Hill residents, with city staff attending, on well impacts, possible connections to municipal services and other effects on the hamlet. Coun. Andrew Keyes and staff agreed at the meeting to sit down with residents.
