Hamilton will take over wetlands, woods in contentious ‘aerotropolis’ warehouse development

A sprawling complex of warehouses will be built beside a provincially significant wetland area controversially approved for the so-called aerotropolis" development nearly a decade ago.

But Hamilton council voted Wednesday to impose conditions on the planned development near the airport - including measures to monitor ecosystem health, and to transfer ownership of the wetland and nearby woods to the city.

More than a dozen residents delegated or wrote to the city opposing the project, the first of four warehouses planned by megadeveloper Panattoni on Dickenson Road West.

The city compromise is not everything they would have wanted," acknowledged Ancaster councillor Craig Cassar, who helped broker the ecological conditions proposal for the development approval.

But he argued the new council is raising the bar" on efforts to protect eco-sensitive lands, have good stewardship and ensure sustainable development" across the city, including in the contentious near-airport area that forms part of the headwaters of Twenty Mile Creek.

Panattoni officials did not attend the council meeting, but planning officials indicated the company was aware and supportive of the proposed conditions.

At last week's planning committee meeting, a consultant emphasized Panattoni has a reputation for sustainable development. He said the company had completed an environmental impact study and planned to maintain a 30-metre vegetative buffer" between the development and sensitive ecological areas.

Conditions approved for the first warehouse and parking lot on Dickenson Road West include a transfer of ownership of the wetland itself, as well as a significant wooded area nearby, to the city. The Hamilton Naturalists Club has offered to help steward" the land.

The conditions also spell out the developer's responsibility to monitor the health of the ecosystem and success of its low-impact development measures over several years.

Mark Tadeson, ward councillor for the airport area, said the responsible" conditions will allow for important economic development and job creation to go ahead. It will also tell future developers to up their game" when it comes to sustainable development, he suggested.

Some residents had urged council to simply reject the application, noting more farmland and wetlands are at risk than ever following recent controversial provincial decisions on the Greenbelt and urban boundaries.

But the project pitched by Panattoni met zoning and secondary plan requirements for the airport employment growth district set years ago after acrimonious community debate and an Ontario Municipal Board decision in 2015.

Given those constraints, the ecological conditions are positive and helpful," said Don McLean, a longtime environmentalist who was part of the original grassroots citizen opposition to the so-called aerotropolis plan.

I remain worried about the narrowness of the wetland buffer and the impacts on the headwater streams," he said, but expressed hope beefed up monitoring requirements will help the city evaluate the health of the ecosystem before more warehouses are proposed and built on the property.

Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com