Demolition nearly complete at Jamesville, city awaits provincial approval

Demolition is almost complete at the Jamesville site in Hamilton’s north end. But a decade into the project, there’s still no end date in sight as the city continues to wait for the province’s approval to move forward.

What was once described as an ‘eyesore’ at the corner of James and Strachan streets is now almost gone.

Crews were there Wednesday afternoon, tearing down the last of the 91 vacant units, and it will likely take them a few more weeks to remove the debris and completely clear the site.

Work on the Jamesville housing project began around 10 years ago, and in the years since, the units sat vacant, crumbling and fenced off.

Neighbours say they’re happy to see the long-time eyesore levelled — as does the city.

“It’s the first movement that we’ve seen on this site for a decade, and it’s about time,” said Hamilton mayor Andrea Horwath.

“Yeah, I’m really glad this is being completed. This is something that people have been asking for for a really long time,” said Cameron Kroetsch, Hamilton Ward 2 councillor.

But there’s still one major hurdle the city has to pass before any more progress can be made on the property – and that’s to obtain a ministerial zoning order from the province – something the mayor says she’s expecting to come any day now.

“My understanding is there’s nothing that’s going to hold it up in terms of it being issued. And we’re now just waiting for the ink to dry and for it to be sent over to the city,” said Horwath.

WATCH MORE: Hamilton to begin Jamesville demolition Sept. 8, despite CN Rail appeal

City housing, with the support of council, applied for the MZO in January of this year. The zoning order would allow the city to push forward with the project and side-step a dispute with CN Rail that’s scheduled to be in front of the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) next summer.

CN filed its OLT appeal in 2022, saying the project’s proximity, with its operations on Stuart Street, could cause issues with noise, odours and vibration. They’re asking for the development to include measures to mitigate the impact — something the mayor says developers already plan to do.

“It is the city’s responsibility in all developments to make sure that things like noise mitigation, et cetera, are dealt with,” said Horwath.

In a September statement back when the demolition was first announced, CN Rail told CHCH News it “supports the development, but does not want it done at the expense of future residents’ well-being.”

But while there’s no timeline for the project to be completed, the city is working to make the space look less like an eyesore.

“We’re going to be working with the Art Gallery of Hamilton, about 1,000 local students in the area and working on some art projects to try and beautify the area while we’re waiting for demolition, because we know it isn’t going to happen quickly,” said Kroetsch.

Once the issue is resolved, the city says they’re looking to get shovels in the ground as soon as possible on a new community of 475 units — made up of market-priced town homes, geared-to-income units and supportive housing.

WATCH MORE: Demolition work at Hamilton’s Jamesville housing complex begins