The Upper West Side Land Owners Group Inc. (the Group) is calling on Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath to approve a Minister’s Zoning Order to expand Hamilton’s urban boundaries.

The group, representing White Belt landowners who own about 120 hectares of land around Twenty Road West near Hamilton Airport, requested a zoning order from the minister on December 13, saying it was ready to build 10 percent of new residential units at an affordable price in exchange for the MZO.

Mayor Horwath says she opposes the request.

“I’m going to follow the council’s decision, which was not to expand the urban boundaries,” she said. declared at a press conference on December 19. “The expansion of urban boundaries is not something I am prepared to support. »

Acting general manager of Urban Planning and Economic Development Steve Robichaud said the city will formally object to the application when the province asks for comments.

Additionally, he says the City is concerned that the Group is attempting to circumvent both the City’s processes and the Ontario Land Tribunal.

“We normally expect people to follow the public planning process. »

MZO seeks to circumvent the OLT – where other developers are also trying to secure urban boundary expansion

The Upper West Side group is currently before the Ontario Lands Tribunal, seeking expansion of its urban boundaries.

However, its OLT projects have faced resistance from other developers.

At issue is that the first developer to benefit from an expansion will guarantee the capacity of the city’s new $106 million sewer main, which runs under Upper Centennial Road and Dickenson Road.

There may not be enough capacity for the 4,320 hectares of white belt land that various developers are seeking to add to Hamilton’s urban area.

On October 3, the Upper West Side Group held the first case management conference in its appeal regarding the expansion of the urban boundaries of the Ontario Land Tribunal.

The Elfrida landowners’ group sought to insert itself into the Upper West Side’s appeal and requested Party status. Dale Chipman, BTA member rejected Elfrida’s request.

A request for reviewunder section 23 of the BTA Act, was filed with the President of the BTA on November 14, 2024. (In an email dated Monday, December 16, the BTA stated that no decision had been made regarding the exam.)

The BTA is expected to issue a review decision before the second case management scheduled for January 15, 2025.

MZO steps in after group hires lobbyist at Queen’s Park

Patrick Lavelle-Turns of Endgame Strategies is the Group’s lobbyist at Queen’s Park. As reported in the TPR newsletterLavelle-Turns signed up to lobby Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra on October 25.

Developers promise affordability

In a letter to Mayor Horwath, signed by the heads of seven of the companies, they promise to provide affordable housing in the urban expansion area.

“UWSLG proposes 10% (500 units) of the total housing as affordable housing.

To solidify its commitment to providing affordable housing, UWSLG has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hamilton Habitat for Humanity (Habitat Hamilton).

The MOU states that UWSLG achieves the above affordable housing goals and establishes Habitat Hamilton as the preferred partner for affordable housing in the community.

Additionally, the MOU provides a first right of refusal to Habitat Hamilton to purchase at least 2% of the units (100 units) at the firm construction price.

There are no further details on the type of units involved.

Ward 8 Councilor John-Paul Danko likened the promise to environmental “greenwashing,” saying the promise amounted to “charitable whitewashing.”

Provincially imposed expansion and the Greenbelt scandal

The group has been seeking to add its lands to the Hamilton Urban Development Area for more than 15 years. On several occasions, the City has designated the lands that will eventually be included in the urban limits.

In November 2021, the Municipal Council of the last legislature slammed the door on the Group, vote to freeze Hamilton urban boundary.

(I wrote at the time that the vote against expanding urban boundaries indicated a change in the balance of power in Hamilton municipal politics.)

Donna Skelly, Conservative Member of Parliament for Flamborough-Glanbrook, opposed the border freeze, calling the decision “anti-housing.”

In November 2022, Steve Clark, then Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing canceled Hamilton’s urban boundary freezegranting the Group’s request to authorize a new residential development on the land at Twenty Road West.

A year later, in October 2023, Prime Minister Doug Ford was embroiled in the Greenbelt scandal. Steve Clark took over government responsibility by “resigning” from his position as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

The new minister, Paul Calandra, reversed the expansion of Hamilton’s urban boundariesby passing a law declaring that it was as if the decision never happened.

The developers have since appealed to the BTA and lobbied Queen’s Park.

Next steps

The Ontario government will release the MZO’s request for public comment on the Ontario Environmental Registry.

Once that happens, City of Hamilton planning staff will present a report to council requesting direction on how to respond to the province.

Source documents

The brief that The Upper West Side Land Owners Group Inc. sent to Mayor Horwath can be downloaded here:

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Published: December 28, 2024
Last updated: December 28, 2024
Author: Joey Coleman
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