If you have been researching pre-construction condos in Markham in 2026, you have almost certainly encountered both of these projects — and wondered how they actually compare. UnionCity by Metropia and Gallery Towers by The Remington Group are not just the two largest active condo developments in Downtown Markham right now; they represent two meaningfully different visions of what urban living in Markham should look like, built by two of Ontario's most established developers, at two different price points, with two different profiles for investors and end-users. This guide breaks down every dimension of the comparison — from the raw numbers to the long-term appreciation case — so that buyers can make a genuinely informed decision rather than one shaped by whichever sales centre they visited most recently.
Meet the Two Projects
Before the numbers, it is worth understanding what each project is actually trying to be — because the ambition behind each development shapes everything from the amenity package to the community it will create and the buyer profile it is designed to attract.
The distinction in concept matters enormously for buyers who are choosing between them. UnionCity is designed as a self-contained urban ecosystem — 12 acres, four towers, thousands of residents sharing amenity infrastructure, with the GO Train and York University as anchor institutions giving the development genuine transit utility and a built-in rental market. Gallery Towers is a more boutique proposition: 506 units in two towers, art-inspired architecture, positioned as the flagship residential address within the Remington Group's own 243-acre Downtown Markham master plan — the developer-as-city-builder dynamic that gives Gallery Towers a very specific kind of long-term confidence.
The Head-to-Head Comparison — Every Key Metric
Here is the complete side-by-side breakdown across every dimension that matters to a pre-construction buyer making a financial decision in 2026.
Project Deep Dives — What the Summary Table Can't Capture
The comparison table gives you the structural facts. What it cannot convey is the qualitative texture of each project — the developer's track record, the specific community character being built, and the subtler factors that tend to determine which developments outperform over a 10-year horizon. Here is the deeper read on each.
UnionCity's fundamental proposition is straightforward: it is being built at the most transit-accessible address in Markham. The Unionville GO Station connection is not incidental — it is the core of the development thesis. For residents, that means a genuine Toronto commute option that most of the 905 cannot match. For investors, it means the rental pool is not limited to people who want to live in Markham; it includes the much larger universe of people who want to commute to downtown Toronto from a more affordable base — and for whom the GO connection is non-negotiable.
Metropia's decision to position Tower 3 as the phase that sold 325 units in five days is itself a signal: this is a developer comfortable releasing product at scale because the demand absorption is there. The York University Markham campus adjacency adds another layer of rental demand that does not exist at most Markham condo developments — the student, faculty, and staff market that fills every condo within walking distance of a university campus, regardless of broader rental market conditions.
The 12-acre scale and four-tower structure means UnionCity will develop its own internal street life, retail, and community character — a neighbourhood-within-a-neighbourhood dynamic that tends to accelerate resale value once all phases are occupied and the podium activates. The risk in phased developments of this scale is construction duration and phase-to-phase market uncertainty; the opportunity is that early-phase buyers can capture price appreciation through subsequent phase releases.
Gallery Towers carries a credential that UnionCity cannot: it is being built by the developer who owns and controls the master plan it sits within. The Remington Group's 243-acre Downtown Markham master plan is one of the most ambitious mixed-use urban development projects in Ontario, and Gallery Towers occupies a flagship position within it — overlooking the activated urban square that will be the centrepiece of the DTM district's public life. When the developer builds the towers and the surrounding urban environment, there is no misalignment of interest between what the condo buyer needs and what gets built around it.
The art-inspired design identity is more than marketing language — the gallery aesthetic signals a buyer and resident profile that tends to be higher-income, design-conscious, and oriented toward the kind of urban living experience that supports premium resale pricing over time. 506 units across two towers means Gallery Towers maintains the boutique intimacy that larger projects lose: smaller resident communities tend to produce more owner-occupied units, lower tenant turnover, and better-maintained common areas — all of which protect resale values.
The 25- and 30-storey tower heights give Gallery Towers a genuine skyline presence, and views overlooking the urban square represent a qualitative amenity that has no monetary equivalent in the floor plan. For end-users specifically — buyers who intend to live in the unit rather than rent it — the Gallery Towers lifestyle proposition is arguably the stronger of the two projects.
Investor vs End-User — Which Project Wins Each Category
For Investors: UnionCity Has the Structural Edge
The investor case for UnionCity comes down to three words: university and transit. The proximity to York University Markham and the Unionville GO Station creates a rental demand floor that does not depend on broader market conditions — there will always be students, faculty, transit commuters, and young professionals willing to pay for a unit this close to two of the most demand-generating institutions in Markham. The lower entry price starting at $586,900 means the yield mathematics work more favourably at current rental rates: a lower purchase price with similar achievable rents produces a better cap rate. For investors optimising for cash flow and occupancy stability, UnionCity's structural demand drivers are difficult to match in the current Markham pre-construction market.
The 4-tower phased structure also benefits investors through the appreciation dynamics of phased releases: buyers in early phases of large-scale developments in the GTA have historically seen meaningful price increases on paper by the time later phases launch at higher PSF pricing — creating both equity appreciation and a comparable sale environment that supports the early-buyer's unit value at assignment or resale.
For End-Users: Gallery Towers Makes the Stronger Lifestyle Case
For buyers who intend to live in the unit — families, downsizers, professionals making Markham their primary home — Gallery Towers' propositions land differently. The art-inspired design identity, the urban square setting, the boutique 506-unit scale that preserves community intimacy, and the Remington Group's master plan stewardship of the surrounding neighbourhood all produce a living experience that is qualitatively different from a 1,400-unit mega-development. The DTM district's amenity density — restaurants, retail, cultural programming, the Civic Centre and its surrounding infrastructure — means Gallery Towers residents are embedded in the most activated urban neighbourhood in York Region.
UnionCity wins the investor argument on transit access, university adjacency, entry price, yield math, and phased appreciation potential. It also wins for buyers who want maximum urban amenity scale and a self-contained community. The $586,900 starting price makes it the most accessible quality pre-construction address in Downtown Markham right now.
Gallery Towers wins the end-user argument on design quality, community intimacy, master plan protection, urban square setting, and the premium positioning that historically delivers stronger long-term PSF appreciation. For buyers making Markham their home rather than their investment, Gallery Towers provides the more distinctive living experience.
Long-Term Appreciation — Which Project Is Better Positioned for 2030 and Beyond?
This is the question that most buyers are really asking when they compare the two projects, and it is also the hardest to answer with certainty. What we can do is assess the structural factors that historically predict condo appreciation in the GTA over 5–10 year horizons — and apply them to each development.
The GTA data on transit-oriented condo appreciation is unambiguous: units within walking distance of GO Stations have consistently outperformed comparable product further from transit on a PSF appreciation basis over the past two decades. As the Unionville GO Station's service frequency improves — a stated Metrolinx objective — the transit premium baked into UnionCity's location will only grow. Every reduction in downtown Toronto commute time adds measurable value to the development.
University adjacency adds a second structural demand floor. York University's Markham campus will grow its student population over the next decade, and every additional student enrolled is a potential renter within the UnionCity community. This captive demand pool provides a counter-cyclical buffer that pure market-rate developments lack — even in a soft rental market, university-adjacent product tends to hold occupancy better than non-institutional alternatives.
Gallery Towers' long-term appreciation case rests on a different but equally compelling foundation: the Remington Group will keep building out the 243-acre Downtown Markham master plan, and every new amenity, retail activation, employment building, and public space that opens within that plan increases the value of the residential units at its centre. Gallery Towers buyers are not just buying a condo — they are buying a position within a master plan that will improve the surrounding environment for decades. This is the mechanic that produced the most significant appreciation in projects like CityPlace in Toronto and the development of Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.
The boutique 506-unit scale also supports premium pricing at resale. Smaller buildings with distinctive design identities tend to trade at higher PSF premiums than large anonymous towers because the supply of comparable units is genuinely limited. Scarcity is one of the most reliable drivers of real estate appreciation, and Gallery Towers' 506-unit ceiling provides that scarcity in a way UnionCity's 1,400-unit scale structurally cannot.
The Final Scorecard — Where Each Project Wins
What no comparison blog can tell you: Deposit structure, assignment terms, parking and locker availability, specific floor plan premiums, occupancy dates, interim occupancy fee calculations, and development charges — all of which vary by suite, phase, and can change as projects progress — are details that require direct engagement with the sales centres and, crucially, independent legal and financial review before any agreement is signed. This analysis is for evaluation and orientation purposes. The step after reading it is a conversation with an advisor who can access the current floor plan and pricing matrix for both projects, and model the complete all-in cost picture for your specific unit of interest.
Get the Numbers on Your Specific Suite — Kaizen Can Help
Comparing two projects at the level of this guide is the right starting point — but the purchase decision ultimately comes down to a specific suite, a specific floor, a specific deposit schedule, and a financial model that accounts for your individual circumstances. That is where the Kaizen Real Estate team's combination of REALTOR® and CPA/CMA expertise becomes genuinely valuable: the analysis that Michael brings is not just market knowledge, it is the financial modelling of the complete hold scenario — occupancy carrying costs, projected rental income, development charge exposure, and resale value trajectory — that most buyers have never seen presented this clearly.
Michael models both projects with the rigor of a CPA and the market knowledge of a Markham specialist. For buyers evaluating UnionCity vs Gallery Towers, that means a side-by-side financial model comparing your specific suite options — deposit schedules, projected occupancy fees, estimated rental income, development charge exposure, LTT calculations, and projected equity position at year 3, 5, and 10. The analysis that informs the comparison above is the same framework Michael applies to individual buyer situations — making the abstract concrete before any commitment is made. Licence #4784577.
Neeraj's knowledge of both the UnionCity and Gallery Towers projects goes beyond the marketing materials — he understands the floor plan mix, the phase release sequencing, which suites offer the best value at current pricing relative to the building's overall architecture, and what the comparable resale market in each project's immediate catchment looks like right now. For buyers trying to decide between the two projects, Neeraj provides the contextual layer that makes the financial model actionable: not just what the numbers say, but which floors, orientations, and unit types within each project represent the best risk-adjusted opportunity given your buyer profile and timeline.