Main Street Unionville welcomes visitors as restoration moves ahead

By David Yin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Main Street Unionville appears to attract a wide range of tourists after reopening Phase 1 of construction to the public on Aug. 15.

The Main Street Unionville Restoration Contest allows visitors to win from over $20,000 worth of gift cards whenever they make a $20 purchase at a participating business between June 9 and Nov. 30.

According to Sonia Chow, executive director of Unionville Business Improvement Area (BIA), contest statistics so far have shown that people across various age groups – between ages of 18 and 65 and up – have entered in equal amounts. She also said that 30 per cent of contest entrants live outside of Markham.

“I believe they are not just coming to Main Street Unionville, but they will also come to other places in Markham,” she said about tourists from outside Markham. “But you can see, Main Street Unionville is one of the most popular spots they will come to whenever they visit Markham.”

The Unionville Restoration Project is a series of construction work aimed at improving Main Street Unionville’s infrastructure and installing new features such as sidewalks, road surfaces, streetlights, and public Wi-Fi. The project consists of two parts of construction, with Part B consisting of four phases.

Phase 1 – spanning from Carlton Street to 166 Main St. – is now open to pedestrians after construction began on April 7. Part of Main Street remains closed to vehicles, but detours are in place.

Phase 2 began on Aug. 25 and spans from 166 Main St. to Fred Varley Drive. Construction workers are restoring the east sidewalk, west sidewalk, and roadway separately to limit business disruptions until they complete the restoration in November.

Phase 3 will run from November to December, spanning from Fred Varley Drive to the street’s railroad tracks.

Phase 4 will run in December, spanning from the railroad tracks to Highway 7.

Chow said that one of the reasons Unionville BIA is hosting the restoration contest is to help businesses stay afloat during construction.

“People see enough restoration projects in Ontario that it is always a hard time and challenge for local businesses,” she said.

Mayor Frank Scarpitti said that he hopes the renovation project will elevate Main Street Unionville as one of the best main streets in Ontario.

“I think it’s going to really put the shine back into the jewel of Markham, which is Main Street Unionville,” Scarpitti said.

The City of Markham began planning in 2013 to help guide Main Street Unionville’s development through the Main Street Unionville Streetscape Master Plan.

Scarpitti said that plans for the construction began in 2022, after the city determined the district’s long-term vision through the master plan.

He said that some of the district’s most important renovations tend to be hidden from public view, such as sewage and water system upgrades.

“I know that people see the disruption and they see the beautiful parts, but I just wanted to let them know how extensive and broad this project is,” he said.

For more information, head to yourvoicemarkham.ca/mainstreetunionvilledesign.

Photo: Main Street Unionville restorations are still underway, but the street remains open to pedestrians. (David Yin photo)