The Town of Newmarket is giving the go-ahead to a new mid-rise apartment development on Davis Drive, which could create 170 homes.
Council gave tentative zoning approval Nov. 13 to a eight-storey proposal at 315 Davis across from Lorne Avenue. Format Davis Group plans to build an apartment with 29 one-bedroom units, 77 one-bedroom plus den units, 57 two-bedroom units and seven two-bedroom plus den units.
Newmarket Councillor Trevor Morrison said the staff report and public meeting did well in addressing the development.
“This report, it really did thoroughly address a lot of the comments and concerns, especially from the residents,” Morrison said. “A lot of fulsome thought has been put through for this development.”
The project garnered some concern during a public meeting in October, with a resident writing in regarding the traffic and parking issues it could create in nearby streets due to a pedestrian connection to Hillview Drive.
The staff report notes that the development is providing sufficient parking under town bylaws, and staff do not seek any additional parking.
The project would have a pedestrian-only pathway connection versus a vehicle connection from Hillview. Staff said based on feedback from council and the public, there will be a detailed review of the pedestrian connection during the site plan stage to ensure it meets “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” principles and it does not cause any security problems, through the nearby neighbourhood.
However, the report said that with limited public access from the north/rear side of the building, it is most likely that most of the traffic will come from the Davis Drive entrance.
The exact cost of the units in the building remains to be determined, but the applicant is committing to 17 units of 170 meeting regional affordable ownership or rental thresholds in the year the units are sold. The applicant is also considering making it a rental apartment versus a condominium.
The project does not yet have any sewage servicing allocation, with staff proposing a holding provision to ensure the development does not process until allocation is ready. Newmarket has limited sewage allocation, though expects to get an influx around 2027 based on regional upgrades.
The zoning will still need to get final approval from council later this month, before a site plan approval stage will occur.
