Heritage Conservation Districts
Under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act, Markham has protected four areas as a heritage conservation districts: Thornhill, Markham Village, Buttonville and Unionville. A heritage conservation district is:
See if your property is within a heritage conservation district map:
Or search the Markham Register of Property of Cultural Heritage Value of Interest to see if your property is in a heritage conservation district.
Changes will occur in heritage conservation districts. They are living parts of our community, not museum sites. The purpose of district designation is to guide change so that it contributes to the area’s unique character. The key objectives are:
There are many examples of excellent additions and new infill construction (See "Heritage Districts") in our heritage districts.
Each district has its own Heritage District Plan. If you want to alter your property in any way, review the Plan’s policies, design guidelines and other useful information.
All Markham heritage conservation district plans are available in paper versions from the Development Services Commission at the Markham Civic Centre for a small fee.
Or you can download a PDF copy of the Heritage District Plans:
Owners of all properties in a heritage conservation district must obtain approval for exterior alterations to property, new construction or demolition. Heritage Staff has been delegated authority to approve alterations and new construction which complies with approved policies and guidelines (development approvals). Demolition requests must be considered by Markham Council.
Markham has created a variety of financial programs to help designated properties.
The word is in on whether heritage designation has an impact on the value of your property. The answer is this- if designation has any affect on real estate prices, it’s probably a good one. Find out more. Property Values (Heritage Designation).
Markham has installed heritage district public signage (see "Heritage Protection — Signage") to acknowledge the special nature of our heritage areas. These include heritage street name signage and heritage district entry signage. Streetscapes have been enhanced with special lighting, street furniture and sidewalk improvements.
Property owners in heritage conservation districts are kept abreast of district news and useful information through Heritage District News.