Some Newmarket residents are sounding the alarm about the idea to bring high-rise apartments and thousands of units into a new emerging development.
The Shining Hill development is continuing to progress after initial approval from council in 2022, located in the southwest corner of town. But while the development was initially said to be low to mid-density, some residents are now raising concerns about ideas of eventually having high-rise development in the area.
A change.org petition opposing this has amassed more than 300 signatures. Mark Sinkic is one of the Newmarket residents opposing the development direction and said it is concerning given the lack of infrastructure in the area. He said such dense development as high-rises should stick to previously planned corridors of Yonge Street and Davis Drive.
“They haven’t built any infrastructure around it,” he said. “Just follow your plan of 2023 and don’t try to amend it, because now a builder wants to build, in this soybean field, a city.”
The development area is situated between Bathurst and Yonge streets, on lands previously zoned as environmentally protected. In exchange for rezoning that, developer Shining Hills Estates provided several concessions, including an 80-acre land donation to the municipality and paying to construct a new tennis facility.
The developer has been working through a secondary plan that will outline the future course of development in the area. After building up a draft version of the plan, the developer has outlined the next phase is to get plan approvals from the municipality.
The Official Plan amendment that set a direction for Shining Hill’s secondary plan in 2022 said the secondary plan will “investigate the appropriateness of the whole range of mid- to low-density housing,” including, but not limited to, apartments, duplexes, triplexes and quadruplexes, but makes no specific mention of high-rises.
But the Shining Hill website now lists such apartments as part of the housing mix for the area, as well as mid-rise apartments of five to 11 floors, low-rise apartments, townhomes and single detached homes.
“The Shining Hill Secondary Plan will provide the full range and mix of housing opportunities,” the website said.
NewmarketToday did not receive a reply to a request for comment from the developer before publication time.
Sinkic said high-rise density would be more challenging to service. The development is also farther away from major corridors, he said, noting the years York Region has spent developing transit along Yonge Street and Davis Drive to help accommodate the growth there.
“Just stick to the plan. They’ve laid the foundation of changing the infrastructure,” he said, adding he feels as if the municipality is letting the developer dictate too much of the development. “Don’t let the tail wag the dog.”
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said the application is still getting reviewed and evaluated.
“The secondary planning process includes many opportunities for public feedback, and we appreciate when the community is engaged. This helps to shape the future of our community,” Taylor said. “While there are many factors with new development, we are acutely aware of the ongoing housing crisis and the need to provide more housing options. All public feedback is extremely important, and council welcomes all ideas and opinions to assist in the decision-making process.”
Sinkic said he wants the petition to get Newmarket residents more aware of what is happening with this development before the secondary plan gets approval.
“Our hopes are for the town to be transparent about this and the town to be transparent with all of the affected people,” he said. “The problem is the town is materially changing those plans. You need to be completely transparent with your tax base.”
