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A new plan for reviving the area around Markham Road and Ellesmere Avenue is a good one because it works with or without developers, Ward 38 (Scarborough Centre) Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker says.

The Markham-Ellesmere Revitalization Study, done with guidance from local residents and unveiled last week, will give a neglected part of Scarborough the attention it needs, he added, though finding money for its improvements will be challenging.

The study, which will go to Scarborough Community Council in February, calls for a "public square" on what is now private land at the intersection's southwest corner, landscaped medians on parts of Markham and Ellesmere and some walking and biking trails on green space near Highland Creek.

It also proposes new roads off Ellesmere, north to Tuxedo Court and south to Brimorton Drive, to relieve traffic congestion.

Under the plan, an application for 1,217 condominium units plus retail and office space at 1221 Markham Rd., which roused neighbourhood opposition and generated demand for the study, could not be approved without substantial changes, including some reduction in its units, De Baeremaeker said.

The city has posted details online at www.toronto.ca/planning/markham_ellesmere.htm.