Forum told condo tower is needed to restore historic Hamilton church

A condo tower of up to 25 storeys - and no affordable units - is what it would take to restore St. Giles United Church, once on the path to destruction.

But the team behind a plan to redevelop the site of the former church at 85 Holton Ave. S. says it doesn't want the condos.

Our goal here is to build safe, stable housing for all," Tim Blair, CEO of the United Property Resource Corporation (UPRC), told a virtual forum Thursday.

To provide affordable units, St. Giles must come down, or be left as is" and not restored, the United Church-affiliated corporation said.

But a member of an advocacy group that has rallied to save the more-than-century-old church off Main Street East contends there's a way to save the church and keep affordability in the mix.

We do believe that it is totally possible to raise the money to restore the church and build the affordable housing," Sarah Sheehan, a member of the Friends of St. Giles, told The Spectator.

The UPRC is working with New Vision United Church, the downtown congregation that owns St. Giles, to redevelop the site into a mixed-income community. The goal is to make 30 per cent of its units affordable.

New Vision had a permit to raze the 1912 temple to pursue the project that's meant to help maintain the historic downtown Centenary Church, which serves both congregations and functions as a concert hall.

But calls to save St. Giles, amid a potential move to protect the neo-Gothic building under heritage designation, prompted New Vision and its partners to reassess the plan.

In an emailed statement Friday, Blair said the team is assessing the feedback and support" offered during the forum.

Next steps include coming back to the community for targeted consultations to continue to refine the vision before bringing any proposal to the planning committee."

The 20- to 25-storey condo tower scenario based on technical studies was one of the three the development team presented during Thursday's forum.

Under that option, the cost to demolish a newer wing behind the church, stabilize and restore the temple, and adapt it for some sort of reuse is estimated to cost $13.1 million.

This would require the highrise, eliminate affordable rentals and leave no funds to support New Vision's efforts at Centenary Church, which is next to the MacNab Street bus terminal.

An option that involves demolishing the church - and is in keeping with New Vision's initial ambition - includes a six-storey building on Main, two-storey townhouses and three-storey apartments on Holton. That would create 80 to 100 units, 30 per cent of which would be affordable.

That plan, which also includes a community garden, public playground and new community space, is financially feasible today."

Another scenario that retains the church, but doesn't restore it, moves the six-storey building to Holton. It still provides the affordable units but presents a funding gap."

That's a strange middle option," said Sheehan, noting Indwell, a local Christian non-profit that builds affordable housing, has experience in adaptive-reuse projects involving churches.

In April, Indwell told The Spectator it had contacted New Vision to offer its expertise and discuss a possible partnership for St. Giles.

Coun. Nrinder Nann said Thursday a mixed-income project that provides affordable units and community assets is exactly the type of inclusive building" Ward 3 and the city needs in a skyrocketing market.

But Nann also acknowledged those who feel strongly" about preserving Hamilton's architectural heritage and adaptively reusing St. Giles.

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com