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

The City of Hamilton has announced it will go ahead with the demolition of the Jamesville housing project despite an appeal from CN Rail.

CityHousing Hamilton (CHH) is hoping to begin the demolition at 450 James St. North on Sept. 8, with the goal of creating a “mixed-use, inclusive community in Hamilton’s North End.”

“This will move forward regardless of the ongoing CN Rail appeal currently before the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT),” said city staff in a release Friday.

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said the site had become a “black eye” in the city’s north end for too long, with neighbours saying it has been nothing but a nuisance.

“People have lived with this in their backyards for years,” said Horwath. “Meanwhile, we have people who are unhoused in our community, we have people that can’t afford the housing they’re in right now.”

“Everybody keeps breaking into there, they break things, they litter, there’s violence over there,” said one neighbour.

A decade ago, the city began its process of evicting residents from the 91 affordable townhouses in the Jamesville community, with the goal of quickly redeveloping the site.

No development materialized, but a plan to create new housing was put forward by the city in 2019.

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However, CN Rail – which operates a yard and tracks nearby – appealed the city’s redevelopment plans to the OLT in 2022, which further delayed the project.

The private rail company raised concerns about how odours, vibrations, and noise could affect future residents, which led the city to alter its plan in an attempt to appease CN Rail.

Earlier this year, CHH sought a provincial minister’s zoning order to resolve the deadlock with CN Rail, following unsuccessful negotiations.

Horwath said she is confident the city will win that appeal.

“We know that development is what we want, we know it’s coming, we know there’s a partnership in place, and it’s being held up by an appeal from CN,” said Horwath. “That appeal is likely going to be overcome through a ministerial zoning order.”

The mayor said starting the demolition of the townhomes before getting approval from the province’s housing minister will speed up the redevelopment timeline.

The city plans to build inclusive housing for mixed-income residents, but no exact timeline has been released for when crews will start putting up homes.

Now, the city waits for Ontario’s housing minister to make a decision.

The city says updates will be available at CHH’s Jamesville Redevelopment page.

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