• Where We are in the Study Process
• Public Consultation Process
• Canvassing Area Businesses
• Survey Questions
• Existing Conditions
• Precedents
• Urban Design Framework Unionville Gate
• Unionville Gate
• Revised Streetscape Plans
• Façade Improvement (Existing and Recommendation)
• Intersection Improvements
• Boulevard Improvement
• Designing Guidelines
• Public Input at Presentation
• Next Steps

• Phase 1 Main Street South Streetscape Plan
  • Prepared concepts to respond to EA
  • 2 public consultation sessions (February 2, 2005 and February 17, 2005)
  • Detailed plan and cost estimates
  • Presentation to Development Services Committee (March 22, 2005)
    
    
• Phase 2 Highway 7 Streetscape and Urban Design
  • 2 public consultation sessions for input (March 31, 2005 and April 27, 2005)
  • Urban design framework, guidelines and streetscape plan
  • Urban design report
  • Presentation to Development Services Committee
  • Heritage Markham
  • Markham Centre Advisory Committee

• Phase 1 completed
• Website
• Canvassed Highway 7 businesses March 14, 2005
• Purpose of meeting to begin dialogue
• Next Meeting April 27, 2005

• Highway 7 business are recognized part of Unionville village and heritage district
• Traffic is a problem
• Do something

• What do you like least about this area?
• What do you think is Highway 7's greatest potential in this area?
• What changes can you suggest to improve Highway 7?
• What is the most important improvement for the Town to do first?

User of Lot Depth

• Generally shallow lot depths with Service/Retail/Commercial uses
• Planning framework supports continued viability of these uses

Streetscape Character

• Hwy. 7 right-of-way is narrow - approx. 25 meters
• North side has boulevard section - but green is intermittent
• South side central sector has no boulevard
• Weak streetscape character with no definition of street edge (public/private)

Parking

• Parking is convenient but overpowers the streetscape
• Access on south is continuous from middle lane but with traffic conflicts
• Rear yard parking exists only in certain locations - not visible
• Opportunity exists on north side to improve access parking and greening of the blvd

Built Form and Site Planning

• Varied character, heights and quality of facade materials
• Signage is ad hoc and sometimes cluttered
• Narrow, often discontinuous, sidewalks adjacent to store frontages
• Combination of south side building shallow setbacks and narrow right-of-way creates poor public/private definition

Gateways

• Green features to emphasize gateway locations and
• Distinctive heritage area

Medians

• Sense of arrival in a special area
• Landscaped islands accommodate signage, banner poles
• Traffic separation and organizes turning movements
• Pedestrian convenience

Streetscape Elements

• Banner poles for event and locale identification
• Potential gateway features
• Street Signage and Heritage Light standards

Landscaping Elements

• Introduction of Soft Landscaping
  • Median with grasses
  • Greening of the boulevard
  • Trees where possible
  • Base planting at retail facades
• Paving Elements
  • Decorative surface Paving emphasizes pedestrian priority
  • Can be integrated through vehicular areas
  • Potential to accommodate area identification

Façade Improvement

• Improvements to fenestration proportions
• Face-lit facades and signage

• Improve pedestrian experience
• Calm traffic
• Create gateways/landmarks
• Beautify the streetscape, enhance boulevards
• Beautify the streetscape with Facade Improvements
• Improve parking conditions

Streetscape Design Principles

• Expand the Heritage District 'character' along Highway 7
• Improve the pedestrian experience
• Establish landscaped medians to calm traffic
• Provide consistent decorative lighting, pavements and landscape treatments
• Create a visual landmark and gateway at the Highway 7 intersection
• Create visual focal points and gateways at the thresholds to the district
• Promote interconnected and expanded public parking

Urban Design Framework

• Unionville Gate Landmark
  • Create a space that addresses all 4 corners
  • Improve the pedestrian environment
  • Integrate transit
  • Integrate community identification and BIA event signs
• District Gateways
  • Identify east and west thresholds (arrival)
  • Include signage, banners, decorative lighting and landscaping
• Boulevard and Walkway Enhancements
  • Continuous and widened sidewalks
  • Landscape enhancement - "greening" of the boulevard
  • Decorative lighting
• Median Islands
  • Traffic calming measures
  • Decorative lighting, paving and banners
  • Low maintenance, salt tolerant landscaping
• Interconnected Parking
  • Linked surface parking
  • Expanded public parking
  • Visual and landscaping screening to reduce impact
• Facade Improvement Program
  • Expand access to resources
  • Provide design guidelines
  • Develop standards and implementation strategies

Streetscape Concept Plan #1 - Angled Parking Option

• Additional Street Trees north side and south side
• Parking consolidation on north side
• Pedestrian path on north side links to sidewalks
• Trees, lighting and landscaping in center median
• Medians to calm traffic and create gateways
• Parking
  • 25 Parallel parking spaces
  • 92 Rear & side spaces

Streetscape Concept Plan #2 - Parallel Parking Option

• Additional street trees north and south sides
• Parking consolidation on north side
• Clear separation of parking areas and highway at south side
• Direct access to front of stores near parking
• Continuous sidewalk at street on north side
• Parking
  • 16 Parallel parking spaces
  • 92 Rear & side spaces

Existing

Recommendation

Existing

Recommendation

Existing

Recommendation

Existing

Recommendation

Main Street Highway 7 Intersection

• Green gateway features to emphasize distinctive heritage area
• Patterned paving through the intersection
• Addition of streetscape elements such as lighting and heritage area signage

Existing

Recommendation

Main Street Highway 7 Intersection

• Next step in the process
• Design recommendations specific to the district which will guide new development.

Sample Guidelines:

Signage

• New façade signage : locate within first storey, facing primary street, between door head height and 1.2m above.
• No building mounted signage should occur above the first storey.
• A monument sign, serving a group of tenants, not more than 6m tall and 1.5m wide should be located near the street at the entry point to parking.

Sidewalks and Pedestrian Paths

• Where the boulevard width cannot accommodate a sidewalk, a continuous, paved pedestrian path, 1.5m in width, should be located on the adjacent private commercial/retail lands to facilitate pedestrian movement and the path should connect to the public sidewalk.
• Where the pedestrian path is crossed by a vehicle access route, the path should be denoted with a paving material different from the access drive paving.

1. Consider a greater emphasis on greening the boulevards and making them a more pleasant place to walk, in lieu of providing medians, as most pedestrian movement is east-west, with few pedestrians daring enough to attempt crossing Highway 7.
2. An attendee commented back that with medians in the roadway calming traffic and providing a place of pedestrian refuge, crossing may be facilitated, so the effort to provide medians would be worthwhile.
3. It was suggested that forming a local BIA would be an important first step toward encouraging the local business owners to work together in the enhancement of the area.
4. Besides, it was acknowledged, if the municipality starts investing in local improvements, it makes sense for a property owner to do likewise.
5. There may be opportunity for some intensification with second storey additions or infilling at grade, as illustrated in the facade improvement concept sketches.
6. Quote of one attendee, "It may take one or two active landowners to start a redevelopment that seeds the area and generates a momentum of building upgrades."
7. Another comment, "Trees, please...Trees have a year-round presence, as opposed to flowers and grasses which are seasonal can can actually look very disappointing in the winter months."
8. There were some comments regarding the preferred location of a pedestrian path or sidewalk on the south side:
   • While it was suggested that for the angled parking proposal, the pedestrian path adjacent the buildings on the south side of Hwy 7 must be made a pleasant place to walk to assure its use, there was also skepticism expressed on the prospects of making a continuous pedestrian path work here, given the substantial existing grade changes between buildings.
   • "Provide the pedestrian route along the street edge, even if it is less than the standard width."
9. "The lands on the south side adjacent the railway are a great location for an entry gateway.
10. "There were doubts expressed, followed by some discussion, about the viability of access to retailers on the south side of Hwy 7 for westbound vehicles, with the proposed medians.
11. While it was acknowledged that the proposed medians would be an improvement over the existing highway design, there was a concern expressed about meeting dimensional criteria for medians to accommodate trees and the overall planning of the proposal to ensure it addresses snow clearing and storage over the winter months:
    • on the public lands where the Municipality clears sidewalks and the Region clears the road; communication and cooperation between the two is paramount.
    • on private lands where retailers are protective of their parking spaces and unwilling to give up spots for snow storage.
12. In reply, it was suggested that with interconnected parking, snow clearing should be a responsibility of the group.
13. With respect to loading, the angled parking scheme does not improve the loading situation for large trucks which may have to access the front of a building.
14. Pole mounted signage currently on the south strip will have to be consolidated into fewer signs at discrete locations.
15. One of the retail landowners form the south strip expressed concern at the reduction in store-front related parking with both proposals, but with the parallel parking scheme in particular.
16. The next design schemes should include the approx. existing locations for fire hydrant, transformer and other existing services, design parameters and proposed new locations.
17. The design option with the sidewalk at the street on the south side provides a realm at the road edge to consolidate the services with minimal impact on the proposed parking layout.
18. There was some question and discussion about how eastbound traffic will access properties on the north side with left turns allowed only at the proposed medians, particularly the property on the north-west corner, where turning north onto Main and immediately turning west (left) into the property means crossing a solid yellow line in the road just north of the intersection, presumably an illegal left turn. Access to the property from the west side of the block, through a consolidated parking area, may not be viable because existing trees along side lots many have to be preserved, restricting access.
19. The status of the lot at the north-east corner was discussed. Apparently, this is residual land from the highway road allowance and may be available in part for gateway design treatment. The remainder would presumably be available for other uses.
20. It was suggested that the consultants should look at combining aspects of both presented schemes to create a preferred option, preferably one allowing for medians with trees and improved pedestrian amenity.
21. With respect to next steps and preparation of a preferred design option to present to council, it was suggested that another public meeting may be required to determine the preferred option.
22. If another presentation is required, it should include a plan of the existing, showing the existing buildings, access drives, service locations, parking layout and number of parking spaces for comparison with the proposed alternatives.

May/ June 2005

• your comments
• Heritage Markham
• Markham Centre Advisory Committee
• Final Report presentation to Development Services Committee