Metropia’s Union City master-planned community in Markham continues to drive strong interest from buyers with Tower 3 selling 325 units over its first five days, prompting the firm to accelerate its construction timeline.

"The sales results and reception have been beyond what we could have imagined,” Howard Sokolowski, CEO and founder of Metropia, said in the announcement.

“Our promise of unlimited living in Markham-Unionville has translated to unlimited demand for this milestone project and we could not be more humbled by this success. We're very eager to get shovels in the ground and deliver on our vision as soon as possible."

The 12-acre, mixed-use community on Enterprise Boulevard in the York Region community just north of Toronto will be comprised of three towers. With the first phase of Union City nearly sold out, Metropia says construction is tentatively expected to begin in March 2024.

Metropia is a Toronto-based real estate developer behind Toronto’s e Condos, North York’s Yorkdale Condominiums and University City in Calgary, among other projects.

Union City’s rapid sales

The announcement for Tower 3 means Union City has now sold over 1,200 units across its three towers.

In a previous interview with RENX, Sokolowski said he expected the 40-storey Tower 1 of Union City to sell quickly. That prediction was met, as over 400 units in the 440-suite condo tower were sold in the first three days of sales. The quick pace of sales meant Metropia had to accelerate plans for Towers 2 and 3.

Occupancy is now expected in the fall of 2027, earlier than the initial schedule for the summer of 2028.

Sokolowski attributed the interest surrounding Union City to Markham’s growth as a “tech epicentre in Canada” and the upcoming York University campus.

This is despite economic uncertainty, higher interest rates, and developers being more cautious bringing new projects to market.

“These are somewhat challenging times, but I think Union City will be an example that, if you design the right product in the right location at the right price, they will come,” Sokolowski said.

Features of Union City

Union City is expected to cover over three million square feet, including a total of nine multiresidential buildings and one or two office buildings, retail, parks and neighbourhood amenities.

Unit sizes will range from junior one-bedroom units to three-bedroom units.

All residents will have access to a 50,000-square-foot sixth-floor podium terrace that will serve as an urban park and the 5,000-square-foot Union House social club, a public area for co-working, coffee and pool tables.

The community will be within walking distance of York University’s Markham Campus that is slated to open in spring 2024.

It will be close to highways 7, 404 and 407, and offer public transit options such as GO Train and York Region Transit.

A pedestrian bridge over Enterprise Boulevard to the adjacent Unionville GO Transit station is also proposed.

Pacific Mall, Markham Pan Am Centre, a YMCA, Bruce's Mill Conservation Park, Toronto Zoo and various schools will be in Union City’s vicinity.

“It's not often that I get to build a high-rise project on more than 11 acres. That's a community,” Sokolowski said in a previous interview. “When I was involved with Tribute Communities, which I co-founded, it was, very exciting to create communities — not just subdivisions, not just developments, but communities. I have an opportunity now to do that at Union City because of the critical mass.”

Metropia’s other developments

Other than Union City, Metropia has other communities under development. In the Greater Toronto Area these include The Way in Mississauga, New Lawrence Heights in North York, 11 YV in Yorkville, Citywalk in Pickering, and The Village at Trinity Hills in Calgary.