Buttonville is a south Markham community whose identity is in the middle of the most significant change it has experienced since it was first developed. The former Buttonville Municipal Airport, which operated as a general aviation facility at the northeast corner of Highway 404 and 16th Avenue for decades, closed permanently in November 2023. The 130-hectare site is now the subject of a major redevelopment proposal by Cadillac Fairview for an industrial complex totalling approximately 2.78 million square feet, with initial occupancy projected for 2026 and phased development continuing after that. This is not background context for the neighbourhood: it is the defining story for every buyer currently considering a Buttonville address.

The residential Buttonville community around the airport sits in a mature suburban area with housing stock primarily from the 1980s and 1990s. The streets are established, the trees are mature, and the neighbourhood has the settled character of a community that spent decades living next to a small general aviation airport rather than a major industrial complex. What the airport redevelopment to industrial use means for the residential streets that surround it is the central question that no agent should avoid when working with Buttonville buyers.

The residential streets away from the airport boundary have the character of typical south Markham: detached homes, some semis, parks, schools, and access to the Highway 404 corridor. Highway 404 and the 404/407 interchange are the neighbourhood’s primary transportation assets, positioning Buttonville well for car-based commuting in multiple directions. The Unionville GO station is accessible in a short drive. For buyers who do their research on the industrial development and conclude it does not materially affect their specific property, the neighbourhood offers solid highway access and south Markham’s established residential character at prices that have historically sat in the middle of the Markham range.

Buttonville’s residential housing stock spans the 1980s and 1990s build range, with detached homes predominating and a mix of semi-detached and some townhouse product from different development phases. Prices in 2024 and into 2025 have been running in the $1.1 million to $1.6 million range for detached homes, with the upper end for well-positioned and updated properties. The airport redevelopment question has introduced uncertainty into the Buttonville pricing picture in a way that is difficult to quantify precisely, but properties on the streets closest to the former airport site have traded at notable discounts to equivalent homes further away since the industrial development plan was announced.

The honest buyer’s guide to Buttonville pricing is this: the airport redevelopment creates a two-tier dynamic within the neighbourhood. Properties whose rear yards or front approaches are directly oriented toward the development site will have permanent industrial adjacency as a negative factor. Properties that are separated from the airport site by several street depths or are in the more northerly or westerly parts of the community have less direct exposure, and their pricing reflects the neighbourhood’s general Markham position rather than the specific airport discount. Understanding which side of that line a specific property sits on requires knowing the site layout and the anticipated development phases, not just the listing address.

The airport lands will be accessed via an Allstate Parkway extension, which will run through the site to 16th Avenue as part of the development infrastructure. This road extension will affect traffic patterns in the Buttonville area and should be considered by buyers who are looking at properties on or near the arterial network adjacent to the former airport site. Highway 407 is directly south and Highway 404 is on the eastern edge of the site, meaning that the industrial development’s traffic generation will connect to the existing highway network rather than routing through the residential streets — a mitigating factor for the neighbourhood’s livability that is worth understanding.

The Buttonville market has been operating under the shadow of the airport redevelopment since the industrial plan was announced in mid-2023, and the market data shows it. Properties on streets with direct sightlines or adjacency to the airport site have seen longer days on market and more price reductions than comparable properties in the surrounding communities. Buyers who are specifically seeking a discount and are comfortable with industrial adjacency have found opportunity in this; buyers who are unaware of the development and are attracted by south Markham’s general pricing and highway access have occasionally been surprised when their agent explains what is being built next door.

The industrial development story creates a differentiated buying scenario that requires honest assessment. For properties well removed from the airport boundary — say, two or more blocks north and west in the residential interior — the development’s direct impact on daily life may be limited, particularly given that the industrial complex will connect to Highway 404 and 407 rather than routing through residential streets. For these properties, the Buttonville market correction may represent an opportunity to buy into south Markham’s established residential character at prices that reflect neighbourhood uncertainty rather than specific property disadvantage.

For properties adjacent to or with direct sightlines to the airport development, the industrial use is a permanent condition that will affect daily life through noise, light, and the visual presence of large industrial buildings and truck traffic on the connecting roads. These properties are priced to reflect that condition and buyers should not expect it to reverse. The correct approach for these properties is to visit at different times of day, research the specific development plans including the heights of the proposed buildings and the loading dock orientations, and make a fully informed decision about whether the discount adequately compensates for the specific impacts on that specific property.

The Buttonville buyer in 2025 is operating in one of two modes. The first is the informed opportunist: a buyer who has researched the airport redevelopment, assessed the specific properties on the market, and concluded that the properties not directly adjacent to the development site represent value relative to the market discount being applied to the entire Buttonville area. This buyer is typically experienced in the GTA market, comfortable with some level of uncertainty, and focused on a specific price point that they cannot achieve in less complex Markham communities.

The second mode is the buyer who is specifically comparing Buttonville to adjacent communities like Cachet, Angus Glen, and Unionville and is finding that the Buttonville residential streets away from the airport site offer south Markham highway access and established residential character at prices that are meaningfully lower than those premium communities. For this buyer, the school catchment question is relevant: Buttonville properties fall within the Unionville High School or Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School catchments depending on the specific address, and the Unionville GO access at the Enterprise Boulevard terminal is accessible in a short drive. If the school and transit access is comparable to adjacent communities and the specific property is not directly impacted by the industrial development, the price case for Buttonville versus its neighbours is legitimate.

Investors are also present in Buttonville’s buyer pool, attracted by the airport site transformation story and the potential for surrounding commercial and industrial land values to increase as the development proceeds. Residential buyers should distinguish clearly between this investment thesis and the practical question of what it is like to live next to an industrial development, since those two assessments point in different directions depending on which property and which streets you are considering.

The internal street layout of Buttonville’s residential area is standard for a south Markham suburb of its era: curvilinear streets designed to reduce through-traffic, with crescents and cul-de-sacs creating enclosed residential pockets. The streets closest to the Highway 404 corridor carry more noise than the interior streets, and this was true before the airport development became the dominant story. The most desirable residential positions in Buttonville are the interior streets that are buffered from both Highway 404 and the former airport site, occupying the quieter middle ground of the community.

The northern parts of Buttonville, above Thoroughbred Boulevard and adjacent to the Cachet community boundary, have the most insulation from the industrial development site and the most similarity in character to the premium communities immediately to the north. These streets benefit from proximity to the Cachet and Angus Glen amenities without carrying those communities’ premium pricing. For buyers who are specifically seeking the physical adjacency to north Markham’s prestige corridor at south Markham-adjacent prices, this northern Buttonville pocket is the area to study.

Streets in the southern portion of Buttonville, closer to 16th Avenue and the former airport boundary, are the most directly affected by the Cadillac Fairview industrial development. Phase 1 of the development is focused on the northwest corner of the airport site, adjacent to the Allstate Parkway extension and 16th Avenue corridor. Properties on streets that back toward or have sightlines to this phase will experience the most immediate change. Buyers considering any property in the southern Buttonville streets should review the current development applications at the City of Markham’s planning portal to understand what is approved, what is proposed, and on what timeline.

Buttonville’s primary transportation asset is the Highway 404 and 407 interchange immediately to its south, which is one of the most strategically positioned highway nodes in the GTA. The 404/407 interchange provides efficient access north to Stouffville and Lake Simcoe, south to the Don Valley Parkway and downtown Toronto, east toward Oshawa and Durham Region, and west toward Highway 400 and Vaughan. For car-based commuters working anywhere in the GTA or the Highway 7 and Highway 404 employment corridors, Buttonville’s highway access is genuinely excellent and is the neighbourhood’s strongest practical selling point.

The Unionville GO station on the Stouffville line is accessible via a 5-to-10-minute drive from most Buttonville addresses, putting the GO train within practical reach for downtown commuters who prefer transit. The Stouffville line journey from Unionville to Union Station runs 45 to 55 minutes during peak periods, which is a workable downtown commute. YRT bus routes connect Buttonville to the Unionville GO terminal and to the broader Markham transit network along the main corridors, though the frequency of local service within the neighbourhood itself is limited during off-peak hours.

The Highway 404 corridor creates a noise and air quality consideration for properties along or near the eastern boundary of Buttonville. The highway carries significant truck and freight traffic in addition to commuter volume, and the noise is audible at distance during quiet periods. Properties backing onto Highway 404 or on the first parallel streets are discounted accordingly. Buyers should visit any property under consideration during a weekday morning to assess the actual noise level at that specific property rather than relying on general neighbourhood descriptions, since the sound exposure varies considerably depending on the distance and orientation to the highway.

Buttonville’s parks are the standard residential parks of a south Markham suburb: local parks within the residential blocks with playground equipment and open field space, maintained by the City of Markham. The neighbourhood does not have a signature natural feature like the Rouge park access in Box Grove or the creek corridors of German Mills, but the parks are well-maintained and functional for the family households they serve. Buttonville Park is the neighbourhood’s primary local park, with sports courts and picnic facilities that see regular use from the family demographic.

The Legacy Park corridor in the broader south Markham area is accessible within a short drive and offers a larger recreation space. The Markham Civic Centre and its adjacent green space along Highway 7 is also within reach for community events and programming. For residents who want more intensive recreational programming, the Markham Recreational Complex and other City of Markham facilities are accessible via the Highway 404 and 7 corridors.

One of the environmental questions that the airport redevelopment raises for Buttonville’s outdoor character is what happens to the green space that the airport property represented, even in its operational state. The Cadillac Fairview industrial proposal replaces the airport’s open land with large building footprints and associated hardscape. The stormwater management block included in the development plan provides some compensating green infrastructure, and the retention of a greenway along the Allstate Parkway extension is part of the planning requirements, but buyers who valued the sense of openness created by the airport’s presence — even across a fence — should understand that this visual quality is not part of the future character of the site.

Buttonville’s retail and daily amenity access benefits from its position near the south Markham highway corridors. The commercial strips along Highway 7 and the Kennedy Road corridor carry a full range of grocery, pharmacy, restaurant, and service retail within a short drive. Markville Mall is accessible via McCowan Road in 10 to 15 minutes. The Unionville and Cachet commercial areas to the north provide restaurants and specialty retail that serve the higher-income demographic of those communities, and Buttonville residents are close enough to use these options regularly.

The concentration of Asian grocery and food retail along the south Markham corridors is a practical advantage for the diverse households that characterise Markham. T&T Supermarket locations and the network of independent Chinese and South Asian grocery stores along Kennedy Road and Highway 7 are accessible from Buttonville in 15 minutes or less, covering most specialty food needs without a dedicated trip to Pacific Mall or the Steeles corridor. The restaurant density along Highway 7 and in the commercial nodes visible from the 404 provides dining options that range from lunch counter to full-service restaurant across the full range of Asian and other cuisines.

Healthcare access from Buttonville is adequate. The Markham Stouffville Hospital is the primary acute care facility, accessible via Highway 7 east in approximately 20 minutes depending on traffic. Medical and dental offices are present along the main commercial strips and in the adjacent Cachet and Unionville communities. For households that require specialist care, the Markham area’s concentration of medical offices means that most routine specialist appointments are accessible without travelling into Toronto, which is a practical improvement over less-developed suburban locations in York Region.

The YRDSB schools serving Buttonville include properties in the catchment area of either Unionville Meadows Public School or Stonebridge Public School at the elementary level, depending on the specific address. The secondary school catchment for most Buttonville properties is Unionville High School or Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School, again depending on the specific location within the neighbourhood. The Unionville High School catchment is significant for many buyers: the school has one of the strongest arts and academic programs in York Region, with a specialised arts program that draws applications from across the YRDSB and an academic profile that is highly regarded by university-bound families. Pierre Elliott Trudeau is similarly well-regarded, particularly for its science and university preparation programming.

For families who are purchasing in Buttonville partly on the basis of secondary school catchment, verifying the specific school assignment for the address in question is essential. The Buttonville community spans a catchment boundary area where the distinction between Unionville High School and Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School comes down to specific streets, and this distinction can affect a buyer’s decision at a level that justifies a phone call to YRDSB before submitting an offer. Use the YRDSB school locator at schoollocator.yrdsb.ca with the specific address to confirm the assignment, and if school catchment is a primary factor, consider making the confirmation part of your due diligence conditions before waiving conditions on the purchase.

The York Catholic District School Board serves the Buttonville area with elementary and secondary school options including Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy as the secondary school. Families in the Catholic system should contact YCDSB to confirm the elementary school assignment for their specific address, as the Catholic catchment boundaries in this part of south Markham do not necessarily align with the YRDSB boundaries. Registration in the Catholic system requires a baptismal certificate and is subject to capacity constraints, particularly at the more sought-after elementary schools.

The Buttonville Municipal Airport redevelopment is the defining development story for this community and will remain so through the second half of the 2020s. Cadillac Fairview’s approved plan for approximately 2.78 million square feet of industrial buildings across 11 structures is one of the largest single industrial development proposals in York Region’s history. Phase 1, focused on the northwest corner of the site adjacent to the proposed Allstate Parkway extension, had initial occupancy projected for 2026. The broader phased development is expected to continue through the late 2020s and potentially into the 2030s as subsequent building phases are designed and constructed.

The construction timeline means that Buttonville residents in the streets adjacent to the development site will be living with an active construction environment for a significant number of years. Large-scale industrial construction generates heavy equipment traffic, dust, and noise at a level that affects the residential streets nearby. The Allstate Parkway extension, which will provide primary access to the industrial complex, runs through the site to 16th Avenue and will carry the truck traffic generated by the completed facilities. The orientation of loading docks and the building setbacks from the residential boundaries are planning details that will determine the specific impact on adjacent properties and are worth reviewing in the approved plans before purchasing.

The longer-term development question for Buttonville is whether the transformation of the airport site to industrial use creates any subsequent pressure on the surrounding residential areas for land use change. The City of Markham’s Official Plan designates the residential areas of Buttonville for continued residential use, and there is no current indication that the industrial rezoning of the airport site creates a precedent for residential rezoning. However, buyers who are sensitive to long-term planning context should review the current Official Plan for the specific parcels adjacent to any property they are considering, since the planning environment in areas adjacent to significant land use change is worth understanding rather than assuming static.

Q: How much of a discount is the airport industrial development creating on Buttonville home prices?
A: The discount varies significantly depending on the specific property’s relationship to the development site. Properties that back directly onto or have unobstructed sightlines to the former airport lands have seen the most pronounced discounting relative to comparable properties in Cachet and Unionville to the north. This discount has been in the range of 10 to 20 percent compared to similar properties in those adjacent communities that are not airport-adjacent, though the exact figure varies by property type, condition, and current market conditions. Properties in the northern and western parts of Buttonville that are several streets removed from the airport boundary trade closer to their un-discounted Markham value, since the industrial development is less visible and the daily impact is expected to be more limited once Phase 1 is operating. The most useful comparison for any specific Buttonville property is not a blanket neighbourhood discount figure but a comparison to recent sales of similar homes in Buttonville itself, stratified by distance from the airport boundary. An agent with current Buttonville transaction data can provide that comparison more accurately than a general market discount estimate.

Q: Does the industrial development affect the Buttonville school catchments?
A: The industrial development of the airport site does not affect the residential school catchment boundaries, which are set by the school boards based on residential address distribution rather than land use classification. Buttonville residential properties will continue to be assigned to the same YRDSB and YCDSB schools as before the airport closed. The relevant school catchments — primarily Unionville High School or Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School at the secondary level — are not changing as a result of the development. Families for whom school catchment is a primary factor should verify the specific assignment for their address using the YRDSB school locator, as described elsewhere in this guide, but should understand that the airport redevelopment itself is not a school catchment variable.

Q: What is the industrial development plan for the former airport site in specific terms?
A: Cadillac Fairview, the owner of the former Buttonville Municipal Airport site, submitted development applications to the City of Markham in mid-2023 for a wholly industrial redevelopment. The approved plan involves 11 industrial buildings of varying sizes totalling approximately 2.78 million square feet, two development blocks, a stormwater management facility, the widening of Highway 404, and a new road network including the Allstate Parkway extension north through the site to 16th Avenue. Phase 1, consisting of the first two buildings at the northwest corner of the site, had initial occupancy projected for 2026. Subsequent phases are planned but on timelines that depend on market demand for industrial space and the completion of the Phase 1 infrastructure. The full development build-out timeline extends over multiple years. Current applications and approved plans are publicly available at the City of Markham planning portal at markham.ca.

Q: Is Buttonville a good long-term investment given the development uncertainty?
A: The investment case for Buttonville depends entirely on which specific properties you are considering and your investment thesis. For properties well removed from the airport boundary in the northern and western residential pockets, Buttonville offers established south Markham residential character, excellent highway access, reasonable proximity to the Unionville GO station and the amenities of the Cachet and Unionville communities, and prices that currently reflect neighbourhood-level uncertainty rather than specific property disadvantage. If the industrial development proceeds without significant impact on those interior streets — which is the likely scenario given that the development’s traffic routes directly to the highway system — the neighbourhood discount may gradually reduce over time as the development becomes the established background and buyers re-evaluate based on the actual rather than feared impact. For properties directly adjacent to the development site, the long-term investment picture is more complex, and buyers should not purchase those properties on an investment thesis that relies on the industrial discount reversing.

Buttonville requires more due diligence than most Markham neighbourhoods, and that due diligence is specifically about the airport development and its impact on any specific property you are considering. An agent who is vague about the development, who dismisses the industrial adjacency as a minor consideration, or who fails to show you the development plans and explain the Phase 1 footprint is not serving you properly. This is the central question about this neighbourhood and it deserves a direct answer before any offer is submitted.

The right buyers agent in Buttonville will take you through the Cadillac Fairview development application at the City of Markham planning portal and help you understand which buildings in Phase 1 and subsequent phases are closest to any specific property you are considering. They will pull comparable sales data to show you what the current discount looks like for airport-adjacent versus interior properties, and they will help you understand whether the discount appropriately compensates for the specific impacts on the specific property. If the analysis shows that a property is priced fairly given its position relative to the development, a well-informed purchase can be a good one. If the discount looks insufficient for the exposure involved, you should know that before committing.

The school catchment question, the highway access, and the Unionville GO proximity are all genuine assets for the right Buttonville property, and they are not going away because of the industrial development. A buyer who does the work to understand the development impact on a specific property, concludes that the impact is manageable or minimal for that location, and transacts at a price that reflects the current uncertainty is making an informed decision that may prove to be a good one.

TorontoProperty.ca works with buyers across south Markham including Buttonville. If you want a clear-eyed assessment of a specific Buttonville property against the airport development plans and current market data, contact us for a conversation before you commit to an offer.