City steps in to advance Jamesville redevelopment project

HAMILTON, ON – Today, Hamilton City Council reaffirmed their support for the Jamesville redevelopment by stepping in to help move the project forward.

The revitalization of the 2.2-hectare Jamesville site, located at 405 James Street North, will create a high-density, mixed-income community that will contribute to the vibrancy of the West Harbour neighbourhood.

Council unanimously approved the development application for the Jamesville project in August 2022. However, the City of Hamilton, CityHousing Hamilton, and the developer have paused demolition and remediation work as an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal, which was filed by CN Rail in September 2022, paused the project from moving forward.

The developer has brought forward a Revised Plan that captures many of the concerns raised by the community and is also intended to address CN’s concerns with respect to noise.

“Housing is a human right. I’ve said this repeatedly - the creation of affordable housing along Rapid Transit Corridors is a priority. It is my priority, it is the City’s priority, and it is the province’s priority. The City is doing everything we can to move this development forward, as are CityHousing Hamilton and the development group,” stated Mayor Andrea Horwath. “This location has the available land and base infrastructure in place; the ward Councillor has engaged in continuous community consultations, and Council has approved the proposed design. We could begin to move ahead with this housing tomorrow.”

The City supports the Revised Plan, in principle, and will continue to work to negotiate the implementation of official plan and zoning by-law amendments that will ultimately be considered by the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). 

Progress is being made with both CityHousing Hamilton as the housing provider and the developer. The Revised Plan includes key benefits to the larger community, which include: 

• More trees saved and the introduction of a green space linear park along James Street North
• Maintaining the existing Sunset Garden parkette along Bay and Strachan Streets
• Additional greenspace and less surface parking on the site thanks to more underground parking
• Addition of east-west and north-south pedestrian connections
• Increasing the potential for additional affordable housing units as well as market units

“The City strongly supports the project and we are taking important steps to advance the work and try to reach a resolution as quickly as possible,” said Marnie Cluckie, City Manager. “Given the crucial need for affordable housing in our city, we want to provide the community with the best possible housing solution that can exist in the area.”

The City’s role in this appeal is to evaluate the applicable planning merits of the Revised Plan – such as implementing an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) and a Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA) - which outline the maximum height and density of the project.

CityHousing Hamilton, the developer, and the City of Hamilton remain committed to completing the work of this important affordable housing project in a way that satisfies the needs and wishes of the community and project stakeholders.

Quick Facts

• Jamesville is a transformative redevelopment that will combine innovations in land-use planning, building design, financial structure and community benefit.
• The partnership between CityHousing Hamilton, Indwell and the Jamesville Redevelopment Limited Partnership, with the support of the City of Hamilton, will create a diverse, inclusive, mixed-income, urban community in Hamilton’s North End. 
• The goal of the redevelopment is to replace an existing aging out-of-date residential complex with a new mixed-income community that combines publicly owned social housing, non-profit affordable housing, and market units, in an intensified site adjacent to the West Harbour GO station.