Markham's Buttonville Airport could become massive industrial hub as housing plans scrapped
CBC
The days of planes taking off from Buttonville Municipal Airport in Markham are numbered, but the latest proposal for the site's future has shifted to an entirely industrial complex — a big change from the initial vision for housing, office and commercial spaces.
And despite the housing crisis, the city says building industrial facilities is the right move.
Chris Rickett, director of economic growth and culture for the city of Markham says the latest proposal reflects the current demand in real estate and the economy.
"There continues to be a large demand for housing across the province, across Canada and significantly in the GTA," Rickett acknowledged. "But I think the demand for commercial land and office space has changed, and the economics around employment lands and the need for lands to actually make things has changed."
The airport, located on Highway 404 and 16th Avenue in Markham, is owned by Cadillac Fairview. Its lease is up at the end of November, and the 67-hectare property, which has been slated for redevelopment for over a decade, will eventually be completely transformed.
A plan submitted in 2011 by Cadillac Fairview for a mixed-use development with residential suites, offices and commercial buildings was shelved in 2020. The latest plans submitted to the city are entirely industrial.
That's despite recent data showing Markham is moving at just 59 per cent of the pace needed to meet the province's target of 44,000 new homes in the city by 2031.
Rickett says that the pandemic showed weakness in supply chains, and says the market is now reacting to that.
"We're seeing a lot of reinvestment in manufacturing, distribution facilities and large data centres — these are all things everyday residents rely on."
The latest proposal for the Buttonville site seeks to "redevelop the subject lands for employment and industrial uses," according to the documents submitted to the city. The proposal includes 11 industrial buildings of varying sizes, as well as two development blocks, a stormwater management block, the widening of Highway 404, and a network of public and private roads, including an extension of Allstate Parkway north through the site to 16th Avenue.
Rickett says there is a significant amount of housing proposals in the approval process, "but it's also important to have places people can work and make things and earn a living so they can pay for those homes."
Ward 4 Coun. Karen Rea agrees.
"We have enough vacant land for the housing targets required but we still need to make it balanced to make sure the people moving into the city have a place to work. So along the corridor on the 404 is an ideal spot for employment," she said, adding she wants to encourage residents to live and work in Markham.
"Having everyone commute downtown isn't ideal," she said. "We want to keep the amount of traffic down."
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