Councillors opposed development plan to raze downtown Hamilton's Philpott Memorial Church
Developer says two 30-storey towers will provide 'badly needed housing'
https://www.thespec.com/news/council...bb48efd1a.html
City councillors are opposed to a developer's pitch to demolish a 123-year-old downtown Hamilton church to make way for residential towers.
Instead, they've told city staff to issue notice of the city's plan to protect Philpott Memorial Church on York Boulevard under provincial heritage legislation.
Empire Communities hopes to build two 30-storey residential towers with roughly 700 residential units and commercial space on the property across from FirstOntario Centre.
A plan that doesn't involve razing the church would cut the housing component in half, Stephen Armstrong, a consultant representing the developer, told councillors Friday.
“We're providing badly needed housing on a site that's ready to go.”
Technical studies, meanwhile, have found the church's facade is “unsavable” with badly deteriorating bricks under stone cladding that was added in 1957, Armstrong noted.
A proposed heritage easement, rather than designation, would ensure key elements such as the church's pillars, stained-glass windows and wood floors, are salvaged and incorporated into the future building, he said.
.......