A developer can tear down Hamilton’s historic Philpott Memorial Church to make way for condo towers if it promises to include a few affordable units, the city says.
The requirement is one of several included in a proposed “heritage conservation easement” — a legally-binding agreement between the city and developer group, Empire Communities and Hamilton Coliseum Place.
And it’s a win for the church’s congregation.
Unable to come up with the $4 million needed to maintain the 123-year-old church, the congregation has been preparing to finalize its sale to the developer in September.
They’ve already bought and begun renovating another downtown location, contingent on the sale going through, said lead pastor Russell Bartlett. The plan is to continue their social outreach work from the new location.
But the sale was threatened when Hamilton’s heritage committee announced its plans to designate the church a heritage site, which would prohibit any owner from demolishing it.
Last month, Mayor Andrea Horwath intervened at the congregation’s request, successfully passing a motion at council encouraging the city and developer to enter into the easement to protect some heritage elements while also allowing housing to be built in the downtown core.
“Our city is in the midst of a transformation and that puts upon us a very important responsibility and vision,” Horwath said. “What I don’t want to see as mayor is a lost opportunity to really begin the build out of our city.”
Bartlett told the planning committee on Tuesday, the easement has his congregation’s support.
“We believe an easement agreement is the best way for us all to respect what I think are aligned interests, mainly the good of the city, the downtown core, new housing development, and respect for heritage features at our current location,” he said.
Construction to begin in 2027
The easement also has the developer’s general support, said a staff report. The developer had pitched a similar idea last year, but it was rejected by the heritage committee at the time.
If the proposal is passed by council on Friday, the developer will have to:
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Build a minimum of 600 units with 25 percent containing two or three bedrooms
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Make five percent, or roughly 30 units, affordable as defined by the city
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Incorporate the church’s heritage features, such as columns, double wooden doors and stained glass windows, into the new development
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Allow for commercial uses on main floor to “animate” the streets
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Maintain the church until construction begins by July 31, 2027
The easement should be finalized by December, said the report. If the conditions aren’t met, staff will report back to council about moving forward with a heritage designation or another measure.
The city tagging a timeline to the easement will help spur development and avoid it sitting unused for years as has happened with other sites in Hamilton, the report said.
The former James Baptist Church was sold to a developer in 2013 and remains vacant.
City Centre mall, next to Jackson Square, was shuttered over a year ago to make way for condos, but demolition hasn’t started.
And nearly a decade ago, tenants were evicted from a Jamesville townhouse complex that was pegged for redevelopment soon after. But that project has stalled due to an ongoing zoning dispute with Canadian National Railway.