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What's Being Built in Markham Right Now — A 2026 Development Roundup
Markham is in a significant growth phase, with new developments advancing across the city — from massive master-planned communities to transit-oriented towers to small infill projects. Here is a roundup of what's moving forward and what it all means.
What's being built in Markham right now? Markham has a wave of new development moving forward — including a 2,000+ home community near Highway 48 & 19th Avenue, 1,183 units at Leslie & Highway 7, a 46-storey rental tower (first of three) at Yonge & Steeles near the future subway, and smaller infill like 18 townhouses on Green Lane. Council also approved a new incentive to encourage purpose-built rental housing. Together, these add thousands of homes across every type — from detached to towers — over the coming years.
Markham is in a significant growth phase, with new developments advancing across the city — from massive master-planned communities to transit-oriented towers to small infill projects. Michael John Lau, a top real estate agent in Markham, offers a roundup of what's moving forward and what it all means for the market.
Important context: The projects below are at various stages of the planning process — some approved, some approved in principle, some still-early applications. None are guaranteed to proceed exactly as described, and timelines span years. Always confirm the current status of any specific project with the City of Markham. Figures are as reported at the time of writing.
The Big Master-Planned Communities
Highway 48 & 19th Avenue — 2,000+ homes
The largest of the recent approvals: a 2,000+ home community in northeast Markham (by Treasure Hill and Fieldgate), approved in principle. It includes 550 detached homes, 817 townhouses, and 700 medium-density units, plus an elementary school site and 29 hectares of parkland envisioned as a city-wide sports park. A major new family-oriented community that will add substantial housing supply over the coming years.
Unionglen — a major freehold community
At Kennedy & Major Mackenzie (where Unionville meets Angus Glen), the Unionglen master-planned community is bringing roughly 2,300 freehold townhomes and detached homes by seven established builders — a rare source of new freehold supply in an established, desirable area.
The Transit-Oriented Towers
Yonge & Steeles — 46-storey rental, first of three
Times Group has filed for a 46-storey, 504-unit purpose-built rental tower at 7027 Yonge Street — the first phase of a three-tower plan, steps from the future Steeles subway station. It's part of a cluster of high-rise proposals (many 36–65 storeys) making Yonge & Steeles one of Markham's densest transit nodes.
Leslie & Highway 7 — 1,183 units
Shatsford Developments is moving forward with 1,183 units across four buildings (9, 12, 38, and 42 storeys) at Leslie & Highway 7, with ground-floor commercial, a new road, and a future park — intensifying a key employment and transit corridor. Council approved the Official Plan and zoning amendments.
The Infill and "Gentle Density"
95 Green Lane — 18 townhouses
A smaller but telling project: 18 three-storey townhouses (with two-car garages and rooftop space) replacing a former detached home east of Bayview. It's an example of the "gentle density" infill quietly adding ground-oriented homes to established neighbourhoods across Markham.
The Policy Shift Behind the Scenes
A new purpose-built rental incentive
Beyond individual projects, Markham Council approved an enhanced rental housing incentive — allowing qualifying purpose-built rental projects to defer up to 50% of city-wide soft development charges (via a scoring system rewarding affordability, accessibility, and sustainability), and extending the building-permit deadline for eligible projects to December 31, 2027. It's designed to encourage rental housing during challenging market conditions, and it supports the rental projects emerging around nodes like Yonge & Steeles.
What It All Means: The Big Themes
Substantial new supply across all types
Together, these developments would add thousands of homes across every type — detached, townhouse, medium-density, condo, and purpose-built rental. For a market where supply (especially family housing) has been tight, this pipeline is significant over the coming years.
Transit is driving intensification
A clear theme: development is concentrating around transit — the future Yonge North Subway Extension (Yonge & Steeles) and the Highway 7 corridor. Transit-oriented growth is reshaping Markham's urban nodes into denser, more connected communities. It's textbook smart growth.
Markham is densifying — but unevenly
The city is growing denser, but in specific places: towers on transit corridors and urban nodes, master-planned communities on the edges, and gentle infill in established areas. Much of established, low-rise Markham remains as it is. Understanding where growth is directed is key.
It's all part of a housing push
This activity aligns with Markham's provincial pledge to add 44,000 new units by 2031. The developments and the rental incentive are part of a broader effort to add housing across the city — though market conditions make execution challenging.
What It Means for You
For buyers
More supply and variety are coming — new communities, condos, towns, and rentals across the city. For buyers, this pipeline means more options over time, and it's worth understanding what's coming to the areas you're considering.
For investors
Knowing where intensification and transit are concentrated helps in thinking about long-term potential — while also weighing the significant new supply coming to certain nodes and current market conditions.
For homeowners
Development shapes your neighbourhood's future — its density, amenities, transit, and character. Understanding what's planned near you helps you anticipate change and its effects on your area.
The Bottom Line
Markham is building — thousands of homes across master-planned communities, transit-oriented towers, and infill, backed by policy to encourage rental supply. It's a genuinely significant growth phase, concentrated around transit and playing out over years. Whether you're a buyer, investor, or homeowner, understanding this pipeline is valuable context for your decisions. Just remember: these are projects at various planning stages, with details and timelines still evolving.
Michael John Lau, one of Markham's leading REALTORS® and a CPA/CMA, helps clients make sense of Markham's development landscape — what's coming, where, and what it means for value, opportunity, and their own plans. If you want to understand how Markham's growth affects your decisions, let's talk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make Sense of Markham's Growth
Michael John Lau, REALTOR® CPA, CMA, helps clients understand Markham's development landscape — what's coming, where, and what it means for their plans. Let's talk.
Michael John Lau is a licensed REALTOR® and CPA/CMA at Kaizen Real Estate (eXp Realty), Licence #4784577, serving Markham and York Region. All development projects referenced are at various stages of the planning process, subject to change, and not guaranteed to proceed as described; figures are based on public reporting at the time of writing. Always confirm current project status with the City of Markham. This is general information, not investment advice. Not intended to solicit clients currently under contract with another brokerage.
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