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The Connolly has been approved by the planning committee. The decision must be ratified by city council on January 21.


thespec.com - Committee green-lights zoning changes for condos at former church site

By Meredith MacLeod
January 13, 2015

Hamilton's skyline is one step closer to adding its second tallest building and at least $750,000 to its tax base.

The city's planning committee unanimously approved zoning changes Tuesday to clear the way for the 30-storey condo tower planned for the former site of James Street Baptist church.

The decision must be ratified by city council Jan. 21.

Developer Stanton Renaissance plans 259 units in a glass tower that will sit on a three-storey podium at James Street S. and Jackson Street W. The complex will also feature what's described as a commercial patio at ground level.

The most controversial aspect for objectors is parking. The development will include a four-level mechanized parking system of 122 spaces. Stanton Renaissance was granted approval for 71 fewer spots than regulations require.

That doesn't provide enough parking, said Yonatan Rozenszajn, a director with the Durand Neighbourhood Association. He argued that the developer should be made to add enough on-site parking to serve 70 per cent of the units.

"The reality is, in Hamilton we are still car dependent," he said.

Planner Edward John said the fact that parking will be "unbundled" from the price of each condo unit will encourage residents to use alternate modes of transportation. The complex will include a car share, bike storage and subsidized transit passes.

"This is an innovative, sustainable means to increase density" that downtown Hamilton hasn't seen in decades, he said. Staff held extensive negotiations with the developer, he noted, to achieve "balance."

The original proposal called for 98 spaces on-site.

The committee also heard the neighbourhood has a walkability score of 98 and a transit score of 85.

John also said the height will not be out of character in the neighbourhood. At 106 metres, The Connolly would be second tallest, behind the 127-metre Landmark Place and just ahead of the Stelco building at 103 metres.

Luis Correia, director of development and planning for Stanton Renaissance, said the company is confident that a "changing mindset to transportation" means there will be a market for the project. Sales are expected to begin in the spring.

Staff calculates The Connolly's residential component alone will bring $750,000 in new tax revenue (based on a conservative average condo price of $250,000).

The church, built in 1879, paid no property tax.

The tax infusion is reason to celebrate, says Councillor Chad Collins.

"With the height of the building and the adaptive reuse, this is a poster child for intensification."

The proposal has been highly controversial after the city granted a demolition permit to remove the sanctuary of the church, all of which was covered by a heritage designation. Stanton Renaissance, its engineers and the church's congregation all said that part of the building was structurally unsound.