NOTE TO VISITORS

The Aileen-Willowbrook Residents Association is in favour of a redevelopment of the Bayview and John area, but the design and development  must be the result of comprehensive planning that will make Thornhill an even better place to live!  This would be achieved through: 

• Excellent Urban Design & Land-Use Planning
  • Improve liveability and well-being for both its current and future residents.
  • Urban design that transforms the area into a 'complete community' where residents do not need to leave their neighbourhoods in order to meet their basic needs.
  • The area should include space for a variety of community, recreational, retail, and commercial uses (egs., grocery stores, cafes, shops, etc.)
  • Good architecture and high-quality public spaces support a sense of place and create a more welcoming and animated public realm (e.g. for pedestrians)
  • Reasonable scale transitions between buildings and single family homes to respect the existing neighbourhood context.
  • Establishes good precedents for future intensification. In particular, building heights no taller than the existing Landmark buildings!

• Improve Transit & Reduce Car Dependency
  • Reduce car dependency: Residents should perceive transit to be at least as good as (if not better than) car use for daily commuting and out-of-area trips.
  • York Region should commit to improving public transit through: more frequent service on bus routes #2, #3, and #91; new transit priority measures; and better transit access to Langstaff GO Station, Hwy 7 BRT and future subway stations.
  • Area road system needs to be assessed and revised to ensure traffic will flow under the future demand.

• High Quality Services
  • The number of new residents should be proportionate to the scale of existing municipal services (e.g., recreational spaces, libraries, childcare), unless the municipality or developer actively commits to fund the requisite improvements (via community benefit agreements).

• The Provision of Adequate Green Space
  • New residents in the development need access to high quality public spaces - such as parks, playgrounds and dog parks within walking distance of where they’ll live.  

New Developments at Bayview and John also must be:

• Consistent with the Official Plan which presents a vision of Thornhill Centre (area covered by Thornhill Square and Thornhill Community Centre) serving as a focal point for the community.

• Developed in active collaboration between urbanists, developers, City of Markham officials and planners, transit planners, traffic and environmental experts, and community representatives.