Blog > Will the New BRT Lines Increase Home Values Near Kennedy Road in Markham?
Will the New BRT Lines Increase Home Values Near Kennedy Road in Markham?
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Will BRT raise home values near Kennedy Road in Markham?
Nobody can honestly promise that, and the premise needs a correction first. There are no new BRT lines on Kennedy Road. There is one 1.2 kilometre segment, from YMCA Boulevard to Highway 7, inside a single project: the Highway 7 East BRT. That project is at preliminary design, with a $7.66 million design contract awarded in June 2026. Construction is unfunded, and no opening date has been published. On values, no study of York Region's Viva rapidways and property prices exists, and no Canadian BRT study was found either. The international research is mixed: some systems show modest premiums near stations, some show none, and single-family homes right beside a busway have sometimes lost value.
What Is Actually Planned on Kennedy Road
The Highway 7 East BRT covers roughly 8.5 kilometres in three pieces:
| Segment | Extent | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Markham Centre | Birchmount Road to Kennedy Road, via YMCA Boulevard | About 1.5 km |
| Kennedy Road | YMCA Boulevard to Highway 7 | About 1.2 km |
| Highway 7 East | Kennedy Road to Cornell Bus Terminal near Ninth Line | About 5.8 km |
So the Kennedy Road piece is a connector. It links the Markham Centre segment to the Highway 7 segment. It is not a line of its own, and it is not new service with a date attached.
Michael John Lau, a REALTOR® with the Kaizen Real Estate Team in Markham, Ontario and a two-time eXp ICON Agent, thinks this is the correction that matters most for anyone pricing a home in the area. You cannot value a transit benefit that has no construction budget and no schedule.
Where the project actually stands
- 15 June 2026: York Region awarded a $7.66 million preliminary design contract.
- Construction: unfunded. York Region is asking senior governments for $1.25 billion across this corridor and Jane Street.
- Opening date: none published.
- Lane design: not yet settled. Whether the lanes run in the median or at the curb is exactly what design work decides, and the research below suggests it matters for values.
The full status of Markham's rapid transit is covered in the BRT growth corridor guide.
What Sits Along That Stretch of Kennedy
West side: Markham Centre. The City describes Markham Centre as bounded by Highway 407, Rodick Road, Highway 7 and Kennedy Road. This side includes Unionville GO station at 155 YMCA Boulevard, the UnionCity towers under construction near the station, and the York University Markham Campus at 1 University Boulevard.
East side: Village Green and South Unionville. This is a low-rise community. One neighbourhood data provider puts the mix at roughly 41% single-detached, 25% row housing and 20% semi-detached, most of it built between 2001 and 2005.
One honest limit: published sources do not say whether any homes actually front onto or back onto Kennedy along this 1.2 kilometres. Nobody should describe a home as being "on the BRT corridor" without checking the specific lot.
What the Research Says About BRT and Home Values
The Markham evidence: there is none
No academic or government study of Viva or the Highway 7 rapidway and property values was found. No Canadian BRT property value study turned up either, for Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton or Winnipeg. The closest Canadian evidence is about light rail, which is a different mode:
- A 2024 study of Waterloo Region's ION light rail found the announcement stage produced the largest premium for single-family homes, about 3.44%. Effects differed by project phase and housing type.
- A University of Toronto review of Canadian transit uplift found that transit access alone often produced no effect without surrounding transit-oriented development.
The international evidence is mixed
| Study | Where | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Meta-analysis of 23 studies (2020) | Multiple | Impacts are mixed. They depend on system maturity, distance and method |
| Eleven US systems (2022) | United States | A mix of appreciation, depreciation and no change. Single-family homes near off-street busways lost value |
| Twin Cities A Line | Minneapolis-St. Paul | No effect on housing values found |
| Seoul (2011) | South Korea | Up to 10% for homes within 300 metres of stops |
| The Vine (2023) | Vancouver, Washington | 5% to 7% within a 20-minute walk; nothing significant beyond 30 minutes |
| Pittsburgh East Busway (2010) | United States | Small premiums that fell off quickly with distance |
None of these is a Markham figure, and none should be quoted as one. What they share is a pattern: where premiums exist they are usually modest, they fade with distance, and they depend heavily on design and station placement. Homes immediately beside a busway can face noise and traffic that offset any access benefit.
When effects show up
Where studies find price effects, some appear before opening, at the announcement or anticipation stage. Bogotá's system showed appreciation starting about a year before an extension opened. No BRT study found here isolates what happens during construction. For Kennedy Road, even the announcement stage has not fully arrived, because a design contract is not a funding commitment.
What This Means If You Own or Buy Near Kennedy
- Do not pay a transit premium today. The segment has no construction money and no date.
- Do not discount a home for it either. Construction disruption is years away at best.
- Watch for a funding announcement, not design milestones. A federal or provincial construction commitment is the event that could change prices.
- Look at the existing transit first. Unionville GO is already there, and the Highway 7 rapidway west of Warden is already built. Those are real assets today.
- Distance matters both ways. Walking distance to a future station may help. Backing directly onto a busway may not.
The density around this corridor is coming regardless of the BRT, through the Markham Centre plan and the applications already filed. The Verdale Crossing and Birchmount proposal is one example, and what is actually scheduled for Markham Centre in 2027 covers the rest.
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.
Next Steps
- Get a free Markham home evaluation — priced on today's evidence, not on an unfunded project.
- Explore Markham neighbourhoods — including South Unionville and Markham Centre.
- Ask about a specific address near Kennedy — what is filed, designed or merely proposed nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a new BRT line on Kennedy Road in Markham?
No. There is a 1.2 kilometre segment from YMCA Boulevard to Highway 7 inside the Highway 7 East BRT project. That project is at preliminary design, construction is unfunded, and no opening date has been published.
Will BRT increase home values near Kennedy Road?
Nobody can say. No study of Viva or York Region rapidways and property values exists, and international research is mixed. Where premiums appear they are usually modest and fade with distance, and single-family homes right beside a busway have sometimes lost value.
When will the Highway 7 East BRT be built?
No construction start or opening date has been published. York Region awarded a $7.66 million preliminary design contract in June 2026 and is asking senior governments for $1.25 billion to build this corridor and Jane Street.
What is along Kennedy Road between YMCA Boulevard and Highway 7?
Markham Centre sits on the west side, including Unionville GO station, the UnionCity towers under construction and the York University Markham Campus. The east side is the low-rise Village Green and South Unionville community.
Do transit projects raise home prices before they open?
Sometimes. Some studies find effects at the announcement stage, before opening. For Kennedy Road even that stage is incomplete, because a design contract is not a construction funding commitment.
Should I buy near Kennedy Road because of the BRT?
Buy for what exists today, such as Unionville GO and the built rapidway west of Warden, rather than for an unfunded project. Check the specific lot's relationship to the corridor, because immediate adjacency can be a negative.
Buying or selling near Kennedy Road?
Michael John Lau separates what is built from what is only designed, so a transit line on a map does not end up in a price it has not earned.
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. Transit details are current to September 2026 and reflect York Region and York Region Rapid Transit Corporation material. Research findings cited are from other jurisdictions and modes and do not predict Markham outcomes. Nothing here is a forecast of any property's value, and buyers should seek advice specific to their own situation.