The development’s two main buildings would stand 18 and 20 storeys high. Photo credit: Camarro Group
A new high-rise planned for an empty lot at the corner of King Street and Centennial Parkway in Stoney Creek is undergoing the approval process. Directly across the street from the Battlefield House Museum and Park, the builder, Kyle Camarro, hopes to erect two towers that will be 18 and 20 storeys, respectively.
Applications are before the City of Hamilton to change the site’s zoning to mixed-use and allow medium density. The property, at 2900 King Street East, is currently commercially zoned and was formerly owned by the municipality.
The site used to house a Chinese restaurant and gas station but was then bought by the city in 2013 with the goal of building an interpretive centre. That project was never realized and the land was then sold in 2018.
The development would make room for 422 parking spaces which would be located at the rear of the buildings and underground. It would have 564 residential units in two towers, with a six-storey podium connecting the buildings. Ground-floor space would be available for commercial use.
Urban Solutions planning consultants are working on behalf of Camarro to see through the approval process.
There will be a public meeting sometime in 2023.
Camarro is citing the nearby GO Station on Centennial Parkway and the nearby LRT along Queenston Road as reasons why the building is a good fit for the area. If approved, construction would likely start in 2024 or 2025. Road improvements would have to be made at the builder’s expense.
But some, including newly-elected local Councillor Matt Francis (Ward 5 – Red Hill Parkway to Gray Road), are against the project.
Francis told The Public Record earlier in December that he does not support the proposal because it is not directly along the LRT line, is too close to Downtown Stoney Creek, and because there are traffic concerns.
Many local residents have historically been against large developments in or near Downtown Stoney Creek in order to protect the small-town character of the King Street strip.
Additionally, being located at the corner of two major streets, it would be difficult for builders to facilitate proper street access for building residents.
The building’s driveway would be located on King Street, but, being so close to an existent intersection, apartment users would not be able to turn left.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
