Blog > What new housing developments are proposed in Markham in 2026?
What new housing developments are proposed in Markham in 2026?
Markham has more than 12,000 residential units in active planning applications as of September 2026, and none of the major ones have been approved. The largest are roughly 2,877 units at Highway 48 and 19th Avenue, 2,052 units at 7323 Highway 7 East, 1,711 units at 3085 Highway 7, 1,218 units at 9421 and 9441 Markham Road, and 1,183 units at Leslie Street near Highway 7. A 46-storey purpose-built rental tower with 504 units is proposed at Yonge and Steeles. Every one of these is in review, awaiting a Development Services Committee recommendation. Proposed is not approved, and approved is not built.
The Distinction That Matters
Real estate content routinely describes Markham developments as approved when they are not. The difference is substantial.
Proposed means an application has been filed and deemed complete. A statutory public meeting may have been held. Nothing is decided.
Approved means Council has adopted it, and in most cases York Region has too. It can still be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Built is a separate question again. Markham permitted a record 4,216 residential units in 2024 and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation recognised only 1,825 housing starts. A Markham planning director summarised it directly: many thousands of units have been approved, but very few are under construction.
Michael John Lau, a REALTOR® serving home buyers and home sellers in Markham, Ontario, holds that line with clients because it changes decisions. A buyer told that 2,000 units are coming next door behaves differently from a buyer told an application has been filed and will take years to resolve.
The Major Applications in Review
Highway 48 and 19th Avenue: approximately 2,877 units
Files PLAN 25 137523 and PLAN 25 137532. Addresses 10982, 11120 and 11274 Highway 48, on the west side south of 19th Avenue, in Ward 6.
Owners are Markham 11120 Hwy 48 Ltd. and EL-EN Realty Limited, with Malone Given Parsons as agent. The City files it under Treasure Hill. The proposal covers approximately 139 hectares and includes single detached homes, townhouses and medium density units, an elementary school block, and a 16 hectare city-wide public park, plus natural heritage lands.
Received November 13, 2025, deemed complete December 16, 2025, statutory public meeting January 20, 2026. Not approved. A Development Services Committee recommendation is pending. This is the largest residential proposal in Markham by unit count, and materially larger than the 2,000 figure often quoted.
7323 Highway 7 East: approximately 2,052 units
File PLAN 26 144217. Lindwide Developments, 7.2 hectares, with 6 to 20 storey apartment buildings plus three-storey townhouses and stacked townhouses. Deemed complete April 27, 2026.
3085 Highway 7: 1,711 units
File PLAN 24 193776. The Longo's site. Four towers of 30 to 36 storeys with a public park, a floor space index of 12.35 and 1,109 parking spaces. Public meeting February 10, 2026.
9421 and 9441 Markham Road: 1,218 units
File PLAN 26 108916. The Cham Shan Temple lands. Three mixed-use buildings of 30 to 35 storeys, a new public road and a 0.15 hectare park. Public meeting April 7, 2026.
Leslie Street and Highway 7: 1,183 units
File PLAN 25 141723. Addresses 8432 and 8500 Leslie Street and 220 Commerce Valley Drive West, in Ward 8. Owner Shatsford Developments Inc., agent KLM Planning Partners.
Four buildings: Building A at 38 storeys on a four-storey podium, Building B at 42 storeys on a four-storey podium, Building C at 12 storeys and Building D at 9 storeys. Two existing six-storey office buildings are retained. Total site 5.99 hectares, with phase one covering 3.62 hectares, plus 1,457 square metres of retail and a new public road.
Received December 3, 2025, complete December 30, 2025, public meeting March 10, 2026. Still in review.
7015 and 7027 Yonge Street: 504 purpose-built rental units
File PLAN 26 125327. A 46-storey tower at the northeast corner of Yonge and Steeles, in Ward 1. Applicant Times 7015 LP. Site 0.891 hectares with gross floor area of roughly 41,322 square metres. The existing gas station and two-storey commercial building remain; the drive-through car wash is demolished.
Deemed complete July 28, 2026 and circulated August 20, 2026. This is the newest of the major applications and its public meeting date has not yet been set. Both an official plan amendment and a zoning by-law amendment are sought.
455 Ferrier Street: approximately 425 rental units
File PLAN 26 112050. St. Marks Koinonia Housing, a 33-storey purpose-built rental building with a daycare and banquet hall, retaining the existing place of worship. Public meeting April 21, 2026.
4080, 4084 and 4088 Highway 7 East: 701 units
File PLAN 25 141750. Three 12-storey buildings with 539 parking spaces on a car dealership site. Public meeting June 16, 2026.
95 Green Lane: 18 townhouses
File PLAN 25 129277. Goldberg Group, 0.31 hectares, 18 townhouse units in a single row with private lane access. Application December 2, 2025, public meeting February 25, 2026. No decision on record since.
The Pattern Worth Noticing
Read the list together and a clear picture emerges.
Almost all of it is high density, and almost all of it is on arterial corridors. Highway 7 alone carries three of the largest applications. Yonge Street, Markham Road and Leslie Street carry most of the rest. The only large ground-related proposal is Highway 48 and 19th Avenue, at the city's northeastern edge.
That matches Markham's growth plan, which directs just over half of future growth to intensification. Markham's intensification rate reached 87 percent in 2024 against a 60 percent target, and roughly 93 percent of the 1,955 units completed that year were higher density.
The consequence for buyers is direct. Detached homes and freehold townhouses in established Markham communities are not being replaced by any of this. Wismer Commons, Berczy Village, Unionville, Markham Village and Cornell are not getting more ground-related supply. That scarcity is structural rather than cyclical.
Also in Play
- Mount Joy GO transit-oriented community: approximately 2,090 homes proposed by Infrastructure Ontario. No City application has been filed and nothing is approved.
- Markham Road and Mount Joy Secondary Plan: adopted as Official Plan Amendment 53 in June 2024, approved by York Region that month, and currently under appeal at the Ontario Land Tribunal. Contemplates roughly 33,000 residents, 6,000 jobs, nine parks and two schools.
- Bur Oak Properties: a City-initiated amendment on Bur Oak Avenue lands to reintroduce non-residential uses in mixed-use low-rise areas, with a public meeting on September 29, 2026.
- 4716 Elgin Mills Road East: State Building Group, roughly 29.1 hectares, seeking to change designation from Countryside to Residential Low and Mid Rise. Public meeting June 16, 2026.
- Four city-wide zoning amendments covering parking and transportation demand management standards, Bill 98 lot area changes, event structures and general housekeeping.
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.
How to Check for Yourself
Every claim in this article can be verified through the City's own channels.
- MappiT, the Development Application Viewer, is the map of active applications
- Current Planning Applications and Agendas publishes bi-weekly circulated application lists and Public Meeting Information Reports
- Zoning By-law and Official Plan Amendment Notices lists the active files
- Development Services can be reached at dsc@markham.ca or 905.475.4861
If you are buying near any of these sites, look up the file number and read the Public Meeting Information Report. It will tell you more than any summary.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many new homes are being built in Markham?
More than 12,000 units are in active planning applications, but none of the major ones have been approved. Markham permitted 4,216 units in 2024 while only 1,825 housing starts were recognised, so applications substantially outrun construction.
What is the biggest development proposed in Markham?
Highway 48 and 19th Avenue, at roughly 2,877 units across approximately 139 hectares, including an elementary school block and a 16 hectare public park. It is in review, not approved.
Are these Markham developments approved?
No. Every major application listed is awaiting a Development Services Committee recommendation. Filing an application and receiving approval are different stages, often separated by years.
Where can I see Markham development applications?
MappiT, the City's Development Application Viewer, plus the Current Planning Applications and Agendas page and the Zoning By-law and Official Plan Amendment Notices page, all at markham.ca.
Will new development lower my property value?
It depends on what, where and how close. Most current Markham proposals are high density on arterial corridors, which affects homes fronting those corridors differently from homes in interior subdivisions. The proposals also do not add ground-related supply in established communities, which supports those values rather than diluting them.
How long until these Markham developments are built?
Years. An application in review must be approved, survive any appeal, obtain site plan approval and building permits, and then be constructed. Markham's constraint is construction velocity rather than approvals.
Buying near a proposed development?
Michael John Lau looks up the file before advising on a home near a development, because the difference between an application and an approval is usually the whole 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 application details are current to September 2026 and reflect information published by the City of Markham. Applications change, are amended, and may be refused or appealed. Nothing described here is approved. Buyers are encouraged to confirm current status directly with City of Markham Development Services at 905.475.4861.