Hamilton councillors opposed to building affordable housing on a city parking lot are hopeful a “leading-edge” alternative is still doable, even as the plan for the lot is expected to go ahead.
The alternative they’ve pitched in recent months involves reviving a decade-old plan to build 44 units on the same property as the Dominic Agostino Riverdale Community Centre and an elementary school, says the ward’s councillor, Matt Francis.
“This has the potential to be a progressive and leading-edge solution and could be replicated across the city,” Francis told councillors at a February meeting. The idea has been supported by fellow Stoney Creek councillors Brad Clark and Jeff Beattie.
Francis has been critical of the plan to build housing on the parking lot on Lake Avenue but last month lost his fight to keep the lot intact.
Mayor Andrea Horwath used her strong mayor powers to overturn council’s decision to not build affordable housing on the city property.
Horwath said at the time it was her duty to see that when municipal properties become available, they’re used for “sorely needed” affordable housing during a housing affordability crisis.
Francis was disappointed in Horwath using what he called an “undemocratic measure to get her way,” he said in an interview Thursday.
He stands by his assertion that building affordable housing at the Riverdale community centre is a better alternative to the parking lot, which local businesses say customers rely on, and is still planning on seeing that project through.
Despite council’s months-long debate over where affordable housing should be built in Hamilton’s east end, what wasn’t discussed was the viability of adding it to the Riverdale site — owned by the public school board — or why the same proposal that was pitched years ago has never happened.
But a closer look at the site shows some of the hurdles that continue to exist when it comes to building affordable housing on public land, and raises the question of whether those hurdles can be overcome.
Project began in 2015
The Riverdale community centre property is owned by the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) and is connected to Lake Avenue Elementary School.
Back in 2015, it was pegged for upgrades and renovations, which prompted school board trustee Todd White and other elected officials to consider adding affordable housing to the mix, White said.
With the board and city’s support, they pitched to the Ministry of Education an eight-storey community hub that would be on the same property as the school, but not attached, White said. On the first two floors the hub would offer a host of services for students and their families: health care, child care, a family literacy centre and community kitchen.
The rest of the building would provide affordable housing for seniors.
“It would be very unique and to this day I don’t know of any board who’ve built affordable housing [on their properties],” White said. “This is a really out-of-the-box case.”
He saw the Riverdale site as a way for the city and school board to pool their money to provide more resources to students and the community. White said it would also be a first step that could be replicated on other school land across the city.
But then he left his position for a term, and the pandemic hit. Without White’s advocacy, the project “fizzled,” he said, and the Riverdale community centre upgrades went ahead without affordable housing in 2022.
What’s changed since
Francis said he and White, who were both elected in 2022, are ready to put the pressure on once again. However, if they’ll get approval and when the project would move ahead remains uncertain.
When contacted by CBC Hamilton, the ministry deferred to the HWDSB with press secretary Isha Chaudhuri saying under the Education Act, school boards are responsible for their sites, as well as supporting students and handling “local issues.”
The board of trustees has requested the HWDSB “renew discussions” with the city and Ministry of Education, said David Anderson, the board’s senior facility services manager, in a statement. He did not provide details as to when that would happen.
The City of Hamilton said in a statement residential uses are not permitted on school board-owned lands, under the Education Act, which is why affordable housing was not built there in the first place. The only way it could go forward is if the province amended its legislation or if the board sold a portion of the land to the city.
White called the city’s response an “old school way of thinking” and believes the province could approve the plan as a community hub that — with the city’s help — would bring “an incredible amount of extra services and supports for schools,” White said.
“We have figured out all the creative routes and found creative ways to do things differently. We don’t need naysayers at the table.”