Residents oppose developer’s plans for condo towers in three-storey zone
Residents of a southeast Mountain neighbourhood are trying to fend off a developer’s plan for condo towers on land it bought from the city.
Coun. Donna Skelly says she anticipated six townhouses when the city agreed to sell the small parcel to Sonoma Homes for $320,000 in May 2017.
Now the developer is proposing four towers ranging from eight to 11 storeys on the Upper Sherman Avenue property and neighbouring parcels.
“It’s completely not what I was expecting and certainly not what I would be in favour of,” Skelly said.
Sonoma, however, says it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“I’m not trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes,” owner Michael Chiaravalle said in a phone interview, but declined to provide details about the project.
Meanwhile, a residents group in the subdivision — between Mohawk Road East, Rymal Road East, Upper Sherman Avenue and Upper Wentworth Street — has formed to fight the latest plan.
Matthew Shephard says he expects it to be “highly contested” when Neighbours Against Sonoma Towers meets with the developer later this month.
Sonoma’s plan includes an eight-storey building, nine-storey building and twin 11-storey towers for a total of 489 units.
To do that, the developer needs an official plan amendment and zoning change. The land by Billy Sherring Park near St. Jean de Brébeuf Catholic School is designated for low-density apartments capped at three storeys.
The neighbourhood group is worried the towers will lead to overcrowding, traffic congestion, less privacy, lower property values and blocked views.
Shephard, 32, said part of the appeal when he and his wife bought a home in the subdivision a little more than two years was that the contested lot wasn’t zoned for dense development.
Now he worries about their three-bedroom house being “literally in the shadow” of an 11-storey condo. That won’t be good for property values, Shephard said.
Without the triangular 0.94-acre parcel from the city, the plan wouldn’t have worked, he said.
A city staff report in May 2017 about the surplus land deal noted Sonoma was “proposing to build six townhouse units on the subject property.”
The economic development division supported the sale of the green space, noting the proceeds and future property assessment would generate revenue for the city.
Sonoma already owned 1518 Upper Sherman Ave. and was interested in the adjacent land for a residential development, the report said.
The developer says townhomes were never proposed.
“There’s no six townhomes,” said Carmen Chiaravalle, who’s in business with his son Michael, calling it “just hearsay.”
No applications were formally submitted when staff was negotiating the sale with Sonoma, said Marie K. Fitzpatrick, a city spokesperson in the marketing, strategic partnerships and communications division.
“Nevertheless, the applicant had provided the City of Hamilton with a site plan that showed six townhomes on the lands to be sold.”
Fitzpatrick added the “valuation” of the land was “based on the highest and best use being townhouse development.”
But the sale didn’t include any conditions relating to land use, she noted.
Skelly said the $320,000 sales price reflects market value.
Michael Chiaravalle said Sonoma hopes to engage the neighbourhood group to arrive at a “happy medium.”
“This takes time and it doesn’t happen overnight.”
Skelly emphasized Sonoma’s proposal is in its infancy.
“It hasn’t been approved. You have to understand this is the very first step.”
City planning staff doesn’t yet have a position on Sonoma’s proposal, Fitzpatrick said. It’s expected to be presented to the planning committee in spring or early summer.