Hamilton Committee of Adjustment for May 19, 2016: Applications of Note – TPR Hamilton | Hamilton's Civic Affairs News Site

May 16, 2016
The Committee of Adjustment will consider 24 applications during this meeting. A couple jump out for your editor for various reasons.
The City of Hamilton is applying for variances to construct the new Police Investigative Services Building at 100 Wilson Street in Downtown Hamilton, Greenwin is applying for variances to increase the number of units in its apartment buildings at 181 John Street North and 192 Hughson Street North, and across from McMaster, the owner of two houses at 43 and 55 Forsyth Avenue South is looking to increase the number of bedrooms in houses which are rented to McMaster University students.
The Committee meeting starts at 1:00pm Thursday.
The full package of applications is available on the Committee of Adjustment webpage and as May 16, 2016.
Full application package PDF
The City of Hamilton is applying for minor variances to allow for the construction of the the new Hamilton Police Investigative Services building, despite concerns expressed by the Design Review Panel and that the variances required for the building are many as the building is not envisioned in Downtown secondary plans.
Will the Committee of Adjustment decided the variances are in keeping with planning intent and meets the test for a minor variance? The Beasley Neighbourhood Association is expected to attend the meeting to state the variances are not minor and this file belongs at Planning Committee.
Full application package PDF
Greenwin purchased ownership of these two high-rise residential apartment buildings just north of Cannon Street a few years ago and have been extensively remodeling the buildings to attract a different demographic which pays higher rents than the existing tenants.
As part of the changes, Greenwin is asking – as a minor variance – to increase the number of individual units in the building and make other unspecified changes. Due to the nature of minor variance, the public package does not provide many details.
What will be interesting in this variance is how the City will act in response. Council’s official position on multiple bedroom apartment units is that Hamilton has a deficit and there is a freeze on condo conversions due to this deficit.
Ultimately the question Committee of Adjustment must answer – this being the first of this type of application for the term – is this a minor application or does it belong at Planning Committee for a fuller public hearing?
Expect the Beasley Neighbourhood Association and housing advocates to be at this hearing on Thursday.
Full Package PDF
Directly across from McMaster University Medical Centre, these two houses are separate applications to officially convert to duplexes, and one of the houses is seeking to add more bedrooms.
Applications in Westdale, especially conversions of single family homes, usually draw objections from the community.
The Committee of Adjustment during this term has denied similar applications.