Council debates affordability for Hamilton’s future film studio hub

The city will negotiate development and sales agreements for a consortium's plan to turn brownfields in Hamilton's west harbour into a film studio hub.

But in doing so, council won't oblige the developers to provide geared-to-income housing as part of residential plans for the Barton-Tiffany parcels.

Coun. Nrinder Nann hoped to see some of that tenure - which typically keeps rates to less than 30 per cent of household income - among the project's affordable options.

We talk a lot about the need for mixed-income housing in this community," she said Monday.

That's true, but Nann's motion comes late in the game - and after years of hashing out local planning policies with feedback from area residents, Coun. Jason Farr responded.

This is very last minute. There is already affordability built in," the Ward 2 councillor said.

There's nothing wrong" with rent-geared-to-income housing, Farr said, noting within spitting distance" of the Barton-Tiffany parcels, there are plenty of examples in his ward. It's all happening."

Waterfront property is very scarce right now," added Coun. Lloyd Ferguson, who also questioned whether geared-to-income housing should be part of the harbourside community.

I don't think this is the right location for it."

As part of their pitch for the city-owned lands, partners Aeon Studio Group, TAS and Forge and Foster have proposed that at least five per cent of an estimated 750 residential units will be set aside for affordable housing.

But the definition of affordable" is yet to be determined, Aeon partner Jeff Anders told council. We know that this is a crucial part of the overall program."

Coun. Sam Merulla backed Farr, saying he went through involved consultation with residents in Ward 4 to draft plans for a mixed-income community just north of Queenston Road by the Red Hill Valley Parkway.

You essentially shake hands with your community. You moved forward and that builds trust. This is bad form. You cannot do this at the 11th hour."

But there's a public expectation" that council use every lever" it has to provide affordable housing when the city sells land for development," Coun. John-Paul Danko argued.

We are in a housing crisis. The average family cannot afford the average home. This is an emergency."

Likewise, Coun. Judi Partridge said council's role" is to look after our residents" amid the affordability crunch. It has people running scared. It has people absolutely desperate."

In 2019, Aeon agreed in principle to buy the land that the city bulldozed a decade earlier for a stadium that was ultimately built at the former Ivor Wynne site in the east end.

This past February, Aeon opened its Bayfront Studios in an 80,000-square-foot former manufacturing building at 243 Queen St. N. across from the city-owned parcels eyed for the mixed-use development.

The consortium aims to turn the properties - roughly 14 acres of barren land between the CN rail yard, Queen, Tiffany and Barton streets - into a hub for the creative arts anchored by film and production studios.

The plan calls for sound stages for large film and television productions, and smaller studios for other industries like animation, video games, special effects, crafts, music and fashion.

The blueprint envisions walkable, complete streets" with a pedestrian focus and plaza for community use, Anders said.

Ultimately, the concept plan aims to transform a vacant, contaminated site into a vibrant, sustainable transit hub."

The partners have held public engagement sessions and submitted a master plan and business case, which city staff say have satisfied the conditions of a memorandum of understanding.

On Monday, city politicians directed staff to take the next steps: negotiate contracts, including a sales agreement, and report back for approval.

In the absence of a stadium, I think this is a brilliant, brilliant new employment opportunity for the City of Hamilton," Mayor Fred Eisenberger said.

As for defining affordable," that will be a topic of discussion ahead, noted Jason Thorne, the city's general manager of economic development and planning.

Partridge and Danko joined Coun. Brad Clark in supporting Nann's losing bid to require geared-to-income units among the Barton-Tiffany affordable mix.

Council, in turn, backed Eisenberger's suggestion to explore how proceeds from the future land sale could support affordable housing initiatives.

There are alternative ways that we can generate affordable housing and I think we should explore them."

Teviah Moro is a reporter at The Spectator. tmoro@thespec.com