Blog > Has the Verdale Crossing and Birchmount project been approved?
Has the Verdale Crossing and Birchmount project been approved?
This project has not been approved. It is a zoning by-law amendment application filed by Ruland Properties Inc., with The Remington Group as agent, for vacant land at the northwest corner of Verdale Crossing and Birchmount Road in Markham Centre. The file is PLAN 24 197692. An information-only public meeting was held on 18 March 2025, with a recommendation noted as forthcoming from Development Services Committee. The scale is real: five towers in three phases, 2,139 units, ranging from 15 to 41 storeys, plus 2,848 square metres of retail in phase one. There is no published project name, no sales launch, no construction start and no occupancy estimate. And "Verdale Crossing" is a street, not the project's name.
Two Things to Clear Up Before Anything Else
It is not approved
This is being described in places as a newly approved project. It is not. A public meeting is a statutory step where the City presents an information report and the public speaks. It is not a decision. The March 2025 report itself states that a recommendation was still to come from Development Services Committee, and no recommendation report, approving by-law or tribunal decision appears on the public record since.
Michael John Lau, a REALTOR® with the Kaizen Real Estate Team in Markham, Ontario and a two-time eXp ICON Agent, treats the difference between filed, approved and built as the whole question when a buyer asks about a development near a home. A buyer who pays a premium for an approved project that has not been approved is paying for something that does not exist yet.
"Verdale Crossing" is a street
There is no marketing name for this application. Verdale Crossing is a public road in Markham Centre, and two Remington buildings already carry similar names: Gallery Square Condos 3 at 292 Verdale Crossing, which is built, and The Verdale at 111 and 151 Upper Duke Crescent, which is a different, existing building entirely.
Anyone searching for "Verdale Crossing condos" will find three different things. It is worth knowing which one is being discussed.
What Is Actually Proposed
| Phase | Towers | Storeys | Units | Parking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Tower A | 28 | 501 | 440 |
| Phase 2 | Towers B1 and B2 | 15 and 32 | 739 | 908 |
| Phase 3 | Towers C1 and C2 | 41 and 32 | 899 | 467 |
| Total | 5 towers | 15 to 41 | 2,139 | 1,815 |
Additional components:
- Retail: 2,848 square metres, roughly 30,656 square feet, in phase one only
- Amenity space: 7,239 square metres combined indoor and outdoor across all phases
- No office component in the application
- No dedicated public park identified in the City's report
That last point matters and is worth stating plainly, because several Markham applications of comparable size do include a public park and this one, as reported, does not.
Who Is Behind It
The owner is Ruland Properties Inc., which is the land-holding entity Remington uses for Downtown Markham. The Remington Group is the agent on the application. Remington is the developer behind much of Downtown Markham, including the Gallery Square and Gallery Towers buildings.
This is a private application to the City. It is not a provincial project and it is not a City project.
The Policy Context
The City's report states the proposal conforms to the general intent of Official Plan Amendment 21 and the emerging Markham Centre Secondary Plan Update. The application is a zoning by-law amendment only, with no accompanying official plan amendment and no draft plan of subdivision.
For context on scale, the City's own 2024 tally of secondary plan activity put Markham Centre at a forecast of 56,500 units, with 35,487 units across 34 active applications at that time. This proposal is a meaningful piece of that, and it is one file among many.
What Has Not Been Published
Being specific about the gaps is more useful than filling them with guesses.
| Question | Status |
|---|---|
| Approval from Council or a tribunal | None found |
| Recommendation report from Development Services Committee | Not on the public record |
| Marketing or project name | None published |
| Sales launch date | Not published |
| Construction start | Not published |
| Occupancy estimate | Not published |
| Pricing | Not published |
| Unit mix and sizes | Not published |
| Walking distance to Unionville GO | Not stated in the City report |
Downtown Markham as a district is served by Unionville GO and Viva rapid transit. The City's report on this specific site does not address the station relationship, so no walk time should be assumed for this particular corner.
Questions about your own property or timeline? Call Michael John Lau, REALTOR®, at (416) 700-0286 for a direct answer on your street and your situation.
What This Means for Owners and Buyers Nearby
If you own in Markham Centre
- Watch the file, not the headlines. PLAN 24 197692 is the reference number. A recommendation report going to Development Services Committee is the next real event.
- Density in Markham Centre is not in question. The secondary plan contemplates it and dozens of applications are in the system. What is in question is the height and form on this particular corner.
- Do not price your home today on a 41-storey tower that has not been approved. Equally, do not discount it for the same reason.
If you are buying nearby
- Ask which stage a project is at whenever a listing mentions nearby development. Filed, recommended, approved, appealed and under construction are five different levels of certainty.
- Check what faces your unit. A view corridor over vacant land in Markham Centre should be treated as temporary.
- Construction sequencing matters. Three phases means the disruption near this site, if it proceeds, is measured in years rather than months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has the Verdale Crossing and Birchmount project been approved?
No. It is a zoning by-law amendment application, file PLAN 24 197692, that had an information-only public meeting on 18 March 2025. The City's report noted a recommendation was forthcoming from Development Services Committee, and no approval appears on the public record since.
How many units are proposed at Verdale Crossing and Birchmount?
2,139 units across five towers in three phases: 501 in phase one, 739 in phase two and 899 in phase three.
How tall are the proposed towers?
They range from 15 to 41 storeys. Phase one is a single 28-storey tower. Phase two is 15 and 32 storeys. Phase three is 41 and 32 storeys.
Who is the developer?
Ruland Properties Inc. is the owner and The Remington Group is the agent on the application. Ruland is Remington's land-holding entity for Downtown Markham.
Is Verdale Crossing the name of the project?
No. Verdale Crossing is a public street in Markham Centre. No project name has been published. Two existing Remington buildings carry similar names: Gallery Square Condos 3 at 292 Verdale Crossing, and The Verdale at 111 and 151 Upper Duke Crescent.
When will construction start and when can people move in?
Neither has been published, and the application has not been approved. No sales launch, construction start or occupancy estimate exists on the public record.
Buying near a proposed tower?
Michael John Lau looks up the planning file before advising on a home near a development, because the difference between an application and an approval is usually the entire question.
Michael John Lau, REALTOR® · Markham, Ontario · (416) 700-0286
Disclaimer. Michael John Lau is a licensed REALTOR® serving buyers and sellers in Markham, Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area. Development details are current to September 2026 and reflect the City of Markham's public meeting report for file PLAN 24 197692. Applications change through the approval process, and nothing described here is approved. Buyers are encouraged to confirm current status directly with the City of Markham.