Another residential highrise bringing more density to Hamilton’s core

A neighbourhood on the western edge of downtown Hamilton already bustling with highrise construction is to become even denser.

Coletara Development plans to build 23 storeys at the corner of Main and Queen streets backing onto Hess Village. The 282-unit project includes 854 square metres of retail space and 152 parking spaces.

The positive impact is that it's building the density right in the heart of the core, very close to a future LRT station," Jason Thorne, general manager of planning and economic development, told The Spectator.

The plan for ground-floor commercial space also offers the potential for nearby restaurants and shops, Thorne added.

The city aims to increase density along the future Main-King-Queenston LRT route and downtown with Hamilton's population forecast to eclipse 800,000 by 2051.

Staff are also reforming residential zoning to allow for gentle density" in neighbourhoods where single-detached homes predominate in an effort to avoid sprawl, despite a provincially imposed urban expansion into farmland.

The Oracle Condos, which received approval at planning committee this week, involves demolishing two low-rise, non-designated heritage buildings on Main Street West but retaining a heritage address on George Street for commercial use.

Coun. Cameron Kroetsch said 23 storeys make sense for the Hess Village area, as does additional residential density downtown generally.

The only way for our downtown to thrive, I think, is to have more housing period," the new Ward 2 councillor said.

But with large construction projects in the core, safety for pedestrians is a concern, he said. We have some regulations but we don't have robust regulations."

For instance, some projects don't have adequate hoarding around sites to protect against falling debris, and when sidewalks are blocked off, developers don't compensate the loss of space for pedestrians, Kroetsch said.

When we close a sidewalk (core), it has a huge impact on people's ability to get around, and many of the streets downtown are extremely unsafe."

Kroetsch acknowledges a review of city policies won't happen overnight, but he's asking Coletara to hold themselves to the highest possible safety standard" to ensure pedestrians are safe.

This project is Coletara's second in the area.

Just north on Queen at King, the developer has a 24-storey project at the former All Saints Anglican Church site. Across King, Vrancor has several developments in the works, including a 25-storey tower.

Meanwhile, across Main, on the southwest corner with Queen, Belmont Equity plans to build 23 storeys on a vacant lot.

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