Demolition work at Hamilton’s Jamesville housing complex begins

After sitting stagnant for years, demolition work at Hamilton’s Jamesville complex has finally begun.

The city plans to build inclusive, mixed-income housing at the former site of the Jamesville Neighbourhood House on James Street North.

Construction crews and a duty officer showed up bright and early to clear the site out, and began tearing down the former housing project.

The site was formerly home to over 90 affordable units, but has sat unused for nearly a decade.

Work has been planned for years, but setback after setback have left the project in limbo.

The most recent hiccup was a result of opposition from CN Rail, who took to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) with an appeal in 2022, citing concerns over the operations from its nearby shunting yard.

Earlier this year, the city asked the province to step in with a ministerial zoning order, a move that could potentially overrule the OLT and allow for work to begin.

While that case remains ongoing, the city says starting the teardown now will fast-track future work, should it attain a favourable result.

“Well again, that’s slightly dependent upon what happens with the CN appeal,” said Adam Sweedland, the CEO of CityHousing Hamilton. “As many know, we have applied and we have requested a ministerial zoning order, through the ministry with support from the city, and we’re waiting on the outcome of that as well.”

The demolition of Jamesville is a day that’s been highly anticipated by many residents in the area, and the transition is already well underway.

Crews can be seen hard at work clearing the concrete and foliage, so they can clear paths to the houses themselves, and take those down too.

“The target timeline is to have this completed by the end of the year,” said Sweedland.

“We’ll take it, we can live with a little bit of dust, a little bit of dirt, a little bit of noise for a couple of months, in order for this to go away,” said Corinne Taylor, someone who lives in the area.

Sweedland said the latest plan for the site’s future includes multiple buildings of different elevations, one of which will be owned by CityHousing, and offer 46 geared-to-income units.

In an emailed statement to CHCH News, CN Rail said: “While CN is disappointed, it will continue pursuing standards that ensure the quality of life of residents while allowing for economic growth.”

“It’s evolution, the city’s growing and changing,” said Jim Schoenheardt, someone who lives in the area.

“We have a GO station, that’s just steps away from here, you should have medium to high-level density,” said Nathan Sagert, a Hamilton resident. “It just makes so much sense, it’s impossibly aggavating to see this drag out over so many years.”

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