Downtown highrise will be city’s second tallest after Hamilton loses fight against 39-storey plan
Land tribunal rules in favour of Dicenzo Construction Company’s 741-unit plan at Catharine and Jackson streets
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The city has lost a fight over a developer’s plan to build a 39-storey highrise in downtown Hamilton that overshoots the height of the Niagara Escarpment.
The Ontario Land Tribunal’s ruling paves the way for the Dicenzo Construction Company project, which also features a 30-storey tower at Catharine and Jackson streets.
The 741-unit building stands to become Hamilton’s second tallest after Landmark Place, a 43-storey edifice just to the north at Main and Catharine that predates local policy barring highrises above the escarpment.
That, in part, is why city politicians agreed with planning staff in late 2023 to reject the proposal, which Dicenzo had appealed to the tribunal for a lack of decision within the province’s legislated time frame.
In her ruling, OLT member Jennifer Innis acknowledged the city’s “desire to preserve the Niagara Escarpment’s prominence,” but found Dicenzo’s plan “appropriately” balanced “this goal with the need to address” the housing crunch through high-density development in an area meant to handle growth.
The city also argued the proposal, which has no three-bedroom units, didn’t include an adequate mix of housing, posed challenges for servicing capacity and cast shadows on Prince’s Square, a gathering spot in front of the provincial offences courthouse.
Innis sided with the developer’s take on those points, noting the project represented “good planning.” She allowed the appeal contingent on the firming up of final zoning and official plan amendments.
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