Hamilton committee asks province to remove ministry zoning order from Century Manor lands

Hamilton Mountain Coun. John-Paul Danko wants the province to rescind a minister's zoning order that was placed a few years ago on the former city psychiatric hospital lands on the Mountain.

Danko, whose motion at the Dec. 7 planning committee was approved, said the province must allow more say by the city over what can be constructed on the property. Councillors still have to approve the recommendation at their Dec. 15 meeting.

Not only do we have no control over zoning," said Danko, we also have no control over site control. So they can zone it for whatever they want."

In August 2020 the provincial government announced to the surprise of city officials and councillors it was rezoning the former Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital lands, including Century Manor, to allow for single-family homes, semi-detached, townhouses, street townhouses and multiple dwelling units, as well as for a long-term care facility.

The order expands the zoning on the 12.5-hectare land, and it essentially scuttled a potential agreement the city was negotiating with Mohawk College to purchase the property.

The goal for the property, said councillors and officials, was to create employment lands for health care and education while also maintaining public access to the surrounding lands, the nearby Niagara Escarpment and saving and repurposing Century Manor, the last remaining part of the former psychiatric hospital building.

Danko said if the province rejects Hamilton's request to drop the zoning order, he urged officials to at the very least" talk to stakeholders, especially Mohawk College and the community about what should be constructed on the land.

We have no say whatsoever what gets built there and how it fits in with the community," said Danko.

The provincial minister's order, said officials, was an opportunity to accelerate the development of the property.

Conrad Spezowka, spokesperson for the municipal affairs ministry, said the province is using every tool at our disposal, including MZOs (municipal zoning orders) to increase housing supply and create new long-term care beds, to make it easier for Ontarians to find the home that is right for them."

While not addressing specifically the municipal zoning order that is being used on the Century Manor property, he said it is an excellent" example of how the province, through MZOs are being adopted to maximize underused provincially-owned lands by accelerating the development of much-needed housing and new long-term beds.

Provincial officials said in 2020 at the time the ministry's order was issued, it did not eliminate Mohawk College's option to purchase the land. In 2018 Mohawk College was preparing to spend $9.5 million to purchase the coveted property beside St. Joseph Healthcare Centre.

Under the proposed agreement with Mohawk College, the city would use the funds from the sale to build a mixed-use tower that would allocate 20 per cent for an affordable housing development at 191 York Blvd.

But soon after the Progressive Conservative government won the provincial election in 2018, it backed out of the plan.

Ontario's auditor general Bonnie Lysyk's recent audit report revealed the government issued 44 Minister's Zoning Orders between March 2019 and March 2021 to overcome potential barriers and delays to development.

Danko said the city did not want a ministry zoning order and never requested one from the province.

This is a problem," said Ward 2 Coun. Jason Farr. Ministry zoning orders, for the most part, are scary. We need to keep planning local."

Ancaster Coun. Lloyd Ferguson also backed Danko's motion, and although he would support Mohawk College purchasing the property, he doesn't believe the motion will change the province's direction.

It's a bit of a shot in the dark," he said. It is worth a try to get a location for Mohawk College to grow."