A property at 310 Frances Avenue in Stoney Creek, near the Green Road and North Service Road intersection, will soon be home to three residential towers of 34, 37, and 44 storeys. Combined, the plan will mean 1,390 new residential units. Photo Credit: New Horizon Development Group.
A property at 310 Frances Avenue in Stoney Creek, near the Green Road and North Service Road intersection, will soon be home to three residential towers of 34, 37, and 44 storeys.
Combined, the plan will mean 1,390 new residential units.
The proposal was brought forward by New Horizon Development Group but was originally rejected in December 2021 by the City of Hamilton.
Seven minor variances to the city’s zoning by-laws were also denied.
The New Horizon Development Group appealed both the denial of the site plan and the rejection of minor variances to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
However, New Horizon Development Group and the City of Hamilton eventually reached a settlement agreement outside of the tribunal.
Consequently, the development will be moving forward.
Among the approved minor variances to city zoning by-laws, the first tower will have 1.25 parking spaces per unit while the other two towers have 1.1 parking spaces. The city normally requires 1.5 parking spaces per unit.
The area currently has no direct bus service, although the area’s councillor Jeff Beattie (Ward 10 – Stoney Creek-Fruitland-Winona) has told The Hamilton Independent in the past that there are early concepts in the works for a fixed route bus extension to Frances Avenue.
The development will also have 45 per cent outdoor landscaped space whereas zoning requires 50 per cent.
Additionally, while the city normally requires 18 square metres of amenity space per dwelling unit, the buildings will have 17 square metres.
It should be noted, however, that the development, or at least the size of the development, was opposed by Beattie and a local group called the Lakewood Beach Community Council.
Both Beattie and the Lakewood Beach Community Council expressed frustration with the settlement agreement made by City of Hamilton staff with New Horizon Development Group.
The Lakewood Beach Community Council was founded by Stoney Creek resident Viv Saunders and has regularly opposed development proposals in the area, including a plan for 1,212 housing units at the site of Winona’s LIUNA Gardens banquet centre and a proposal for a nine-storey apartment on Baseline Road.
Nevertheless, the settlement agreement between the City of Hamilton and New Horizon Development Group was officially approved.
The agreement was reviewed by the Ontario Land Tribunal since they were already involved in the process.
Additionally, the Ontario Land Tribunal said they were satisfied with the amended minor variances since they satisfy all four tests set out under s. 45(1) of the Planning Act.
Under the Act, requested variances must “maintain the general intent and purpose of the Official Plan”, “maintain the general intent and purpose of the Zoning By-law”, be “desirable for the appropriate development or use of the land, building or structure”, and be “minor in nature.”
In terms of the site plan, the Tribunal found that the plan is representative of good planning; has appropriate regard for matters of Provincial Interest, is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020 (PPS); conforms to the Growth Plan, the Urban Hamilton Official Plan; and is compliant with the zoning by-laws subject to minor variances.
It is unclear when construction will start, but the 34-storey tower will be built first.
The 37 and 44 storey towers will be built atop a four to five storey podium as part of phase two.
The property, which is 2.061 hectares, is currently vacant.
The development will include 600 square metres of commercial space and will reportedly offer vehicle access from both Frances Avenue and Green Road.
The original site plan brought forward in 2018 called for three towers of 48, 54, and 59 storeys with 1,836 residential units before the project was later scaled down to the current level.
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.
