Newmarket Mayor John Taylor says the town plans to further develop recreational amenities, and will explore the concept of pedestrianizing Main Street in the year ahead.
The Town of Newmarket has a slate of development in the coming year, with Mulock Park construction to be substantively completed, a new pickleball facility to emerge and more. The town will also be working on advancing a pedestrian pilot on Main Street, the mayor said.
Speaking in a year-ahead interview, Taylor said the year would be about completing many projects already underway, including the park, downtown parking expansion and a new tennis facility.
“Providing green space and recreation activity opportunities for our communities is critical in a post-COVID society,” Taylor said, adding that “being financially sustainable and responsible into future decades is the other critical pillar to making sure that Newmarket remains one of the best places to live in the country.”
Newmarket council priorities are wide-ranging and include elements like diversity and inclusion, improving customer service and environmental sustainability.
In the past year, Newmarket has advanced several priority areas. The town tore down the downtown tennis facility to make way for a downtown parking lot expansion, with more work to come. It also advanced work on Mulock Park, the Mulock multi-use path, and started a new event, the Ice Lounge on Main, to positive reviews.
“We achieved a lot and I’m really pleased with 2024,” Taylor said.
The Ice Lounge is returning in February, an event that closed Main Street to vehicular traffic. But the town does not want to stop there. Taylor said he hopes to meet with the Downtown BIA early this year to discuss the oft-debated idea of making downtown pedestrian-only. Taylor wants to have a pilot in the summer, an event similar to the Ice Lounge.
“My position to the downtown community is this has been talked about for a long time — decades. I think we owe it to give it one good try in a pilot format and then analyze it,” he said. “It's a great opportunity to sell our downtown, to promote our downtown and take it to the next level, but I want to make sure that everybody gets time to discuss it, understand, share their thoughts and concerns.”
The massive Mulock Park project started construction this year, along with the revitalization of the former Mulock family estate house at its centre. Construction will continue throughout 2025 and potentially early 2026, with an expected 2026 opening.
It is something the town will be dedicating plenty of time to monitor, Taylor said.
“Very challenging, but very rewarding project to lead and be a part of. I believe it is going to be one of the most iconic parks in the GTA,” he said, adding the thought of walking onto the complete property “is something that I’m extremely excited about.”
Other recreation projects includes plans to start on a new pickleball facility at George Richardson Park, with continued work on a new tennis facility that opened in November.
Housing and homelessness remain a top issue for governments at all levels. Taylor said every level of government will need to make smart choices and put more into funding housing, probably over a two to five-year period.
“I expect to see a greater challenge in the next year or two,” he said. “But I hope with everybody doing their part and doing it wisely and funding it properly, we can turn this around.”
He said there are local housing projects that should advance this year, including Inn from the Cold's new headquarters and a new apartment complex with affordable units on Yonge Street. With luck, Housing York’s planned building on Bayview Parkway will also get underway late this year or early 2026, Taylor said.
Other challenges will include the financial picture, with Taylor advocating for more stable funding for municipalities and rising infrastructure costs.
“I believe that Newmarket is doing well, But I have to be, as mayor, laser-focused on our finances,” he said.
You can find more information Newmarket council priorities at councilpriorities.newmarket.ca.
