Cornell, Ontario is a new urbanist community which is being developed in northeast Markham, Ontario and bounded by Highway 407, 16th Avenue, Ninth Line and Markham Road.

Cornell's homes are currently comprised townhomes, semi-detached (with rear lane garage housing), or detached houses (non rear lane garages housing). The communities are being encouraged to be built with central amentities in order to contain suburban sprawl. Cornell was seen by the Town of Markham as a way to deter the ongoing sprawl by encouraging density.

The development is adjacent to the Markham Stouffville Hospital and not far from the proposed Pickering airport and once one of the sites for Landfills in the Greater Toronto Area.

Transportation links to the community include GO Transit, Highway 407 (Ontario), York Region Transit (including vivayork).

About the Town of Markham:

• Markham is the largest of nine communities in York Region, situated just north of Toronto.  It is part of a much larger region known as the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), which at approximately 5.6m people is the most populous metropolitan area in Canada.  The GTA is also the sixth largest metropolitan centre in North America and is known for its multiculturalism, embracing and celebrating cultures around the world. The GTA is recognized by the United Nations as one of the most diversified cities in the world. It is also the headquarters to the majority of Canada’s major financial institutions and corporations.
• With a population of 272,000, Markham is one of the most ethnically diverse communities: over 65 cultures are represented and 55.5% of its population being part of a visible minority group. In addition, its residents are comprised of mostly entrepreneurs and professionals making it the most highly educated community in the GTA (e.g., 58% of residents in the age group 25 to 64 possess post-secondary education). Markham is also known for its affluent population - according to 2001 Census data, Markham has a median family income of $72,585, well above the provincial average of $61,024.
• Markham is known as the ‘‘High-Tech Capital’’ of Canada because it has the greatest concentration of high tech companies in Canada, with over 900 technology companies located there, a number of which are Fortune 500 businesses. Over 400 national and international corporations have located their headquarters in Markham.
• Markham also hosts companies which are engaged in research & development, computer software, electronics, robotics, pharmaceuticals, health care, communication, manufacturing, and distribution. It is home to Canadian industry leaders, including IBM Canada, Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc, Apple Canada, ATI Technologies, Hewlett Packard, GEAC, Toshiba of Canada Limited, Lucent Technologies, Compaq Canada Inc, AT&T Canada, SMTC Manufacturing Corporation, and many more. This is why Markham is also known as "The Silicon Valley of the North".
• Markham has been very successful in creating a high quality environment for its residents. With its numerous parks and recreational areas, amenities and convenient location to many attractions, Markham has become a prosperous community and an attractive place to live. Markham has been named as one of the 10 most enlightened suburban areas in North America by Utne Magazine in the United States. Utne is a bi-monthly American publication with a paid circulation of 225,000 in Canada and the United States, and has been nominated three times for the National Magazine Award for General Excellence.
• Individuals living and working in Markham enjoy the benefits and convenience of being located close to Toronto while living in a more suburban environment. As pressures to intensify the use of land within GTA communities increase, the nature of the community will shift from suburban to a more matured, urban environment. This is evidenced in the rising cost of housing and Greenfield development, increasing intensification, heightened use of public transit, and a shift in housing stock from single family to semis, town homes, and higher density condominium development.

• "Downtown Markham” development project currently underway by Remington Group. This $3 Billion project, situated on 243 acres, combines residential, retail, and commercial uses, all built to high environmental standards and is located a short distance west of the Cornell Community. Status: under construction
• 39 storey mixed-use development of retail, residential and office buildings by Markham Centre Development Corporation. Status: application has been filed with the town.

The Cornell Community and the Property:

• The Cornell Community is a large master-planned, eco-friendly, and rapidly expanding community in the east district of Markham. Cornell has become a desirable place to live, where the concept of ‘‘live, work, play’’ has been embraced successfully. Cornell hosts the largest park in Markham, and is next to the largest urban park in North America, the Rouge River Watershed, spanning an area of 5,000 Hectares. Cornell is also known for being a secure community that enjoys a low crime rate.
• Its downtown area, the Cornell Centre, is designated by the Secondary Draft plan as one of the few strategic high density areas in the GTA. The property, located on the north side of Highway No. 7 just east of Ninth Line, lies in the heart of Cornell Centre. As the Ontario Places to Grow Act limits development in the GTA to protect the environment and agriculture land with a policy of intensification that better utilizes land within set urban boundaries, this property is one of the last remaining valuable and developable acreages.
• The property enjoys direct frontage onto Highway No. 7 --- a major east-west thoroughfare through the Region, providing across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). In addition, Highway No. 407, a major 400-series toll highway, is located just south of Highway No. 7, with direct access via Ninth Line and the Markham By-Pass.
• Located immediately north of the property is the Markham-Stouffville Hospital and medical campus, that has received a perfect 5-star rating for patient satisfaction, one of only nine hospitals in Ontario to receive the score among the province’s ninety-two hospitals. Already under planning is the $60+ million community centre/wellness center expansion plan that will considerably benefit this property and the community.
• Within walking distance from the property is a world class assisted living facility, the Yee Hong Center. Awarded with three ‘‘leading practices’’, the Yee Hong Center exceeds the stringent requirements of full accreditation by the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA).
• Community Centre/Library uses are also envisioned immediately to the north of the property, with major business parks planned a short distance to the east. Mixed-use (i.e., grade-level commercial uses with residential uses above) development is planned along major corridors, including Highway No. 7. Residential uses are encouraged away from major thoroughfares, and as ‘‘transitional’’ zones between different uses.
• As the community grows, the area will be served by increasingly superior road infrastructure, public works (increased water and sewage capacity), and public transport. The area is already served by York Region Transit (YRT), and by the new York Region rapid transport system, ‘‘VIVA’’. The government has planned to invest an additional $57 Million to expand the VIVA service in York Region.
• The Town’s minimum development expectations are that the property be developed with at least 1.45 million square feet of development. However, based upon conservative development estimates, including proposed height limitations, the property is projected to support a minimum of 3.72 million square feet of development.