Role & Responsibilities

The Markham Centre Advisory Group will advise and assist Markham Council in creating the new Markham Centre. The Advisory Group will:

• Be familiar with the planning and design principles for an urban Town Centre that acts as a focus for the entire Town of Markham;
• Assist in developing criteria, benchmarks and indicators to achieve the principles and objectives of the Markham Centre Plan, know as the Markham Centre Performance Measures;
• Provide commentary on the application of these measures as reflected in development applications.

The responsibilities of each member will be to attend (a minimum of 60% of the meetings) and participate at Advisory Group meetings in order to:

1. Become familiar with the Markham Centre Plan, its principles, objectives and policies and it's current context in the local, regional, town-wide and GTA wide setting.
2. Contribute to the development of the criteria, benchmarks and indicators that will be used to achieve the goals and objectives of the Plan.
3. Participate in workshops, focus groups and public events/activities on the Markham Centre Plan.
4. Comment on the degree to which performance measures have been achieved/reflected in specific development applications within Markham Centre.
5. Assist in providing feedback, information and enhanced opportunities for residents, business and associations represented by the Advisory Group.

The focussed work of the Advisory Group will be valued input to the Development Services Committee (DSC) and Town Council as the Markham Centre Secondary Plan and various implementation measures are brought forward for discussion. This consultation process provides an excellent opportunity for DSC to have a clear understanding of the progress and evaluation of the measures through the Advisory Group's detailed work, discussion and through further stakeholder/public input.

Policy and implementation issues are discussed are focussed on the following key areas:

• Infrastructure to support the concentration of activity within the Centre while ensuring hard and soft services are provided.
• Financial Package that attracts investment to build a high quality of urban design for residential, retail, institutional and employment uses.
• Consultation Strategy to ensure the Plan and its implementation provide an overall benefit to the quality of life and investment for the Centre and surrounding uses.
• Environmental Protection and Enhancement of the Rouge River and natural features.
• Community Amenities in a range and scale to ensure community life within the Centre is supported at a scale that creates a vibrant urban Town Centre.
• Clear Guidelines and Supportive Legislative Framework that will result in a quality of urban design and investment for the full implementation of the Plan.

The meeting discussions will focus on performance criteria, benchmark and implementation issues. For example, one of the principles of the Plan is to create a pedestrian oriented centre. The Advisory Group would assist in articulating how this principle is achieved through built form guidelines, mix of uses and treatment of the public realm. This principle and the mechanisms to achieve its implementation would also be discussed with a broader group through the efforts of each individual member, so that a plan that is truly representative of Markham’s interests is realized. The Advisory Group would also assist in evaluating the progress of implementation providing input and commentary on specific application of the Performance Measures as reflected in development proposals.

Reporting Procedure

Discussion and directions from the Advisory Group meeting will be reported through the Development Services Committee to Council.

Remuneration & Duration of Appointment

The Advisory is a volunteer membership.

Frequency of Meetings

The expectation is that meetings are held on Thursday once a month from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, September through June. Additional meetings may be required during the months of July and August with a minimum of 2 weeks notice.

Duration of Appointment

Council appoints members of the Markham Centre Advisory Group for a four-year term to coincide with the Term of Council, at which time they could seek re-appointment or the membership composition could be re-evaluated by Council. Interim replacement members are identified through a nomination process to fill vacancies within the basic composition of the group’s representation.

Chair

The Markham Centre Advisory Group will be co-chaired, each chair will hold term for two years, and one position annually will be re-elected to provide consistency in the leadership of the group.  Nominations will be received and through a vote, the membership will decide.