Landowners in the path of LRT mull next move
Majority of 43 affected properties in Ward 3
Dorothy Tapajna would love to see a light rail transit stop located close to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul thrift store on King Street East.
But at the moment, the nearest planned stop is too close.
The charity’s store at 696 King St. E. is partially in the path of Hamilton’s planned $1billion LRT route, along with 42 other properties recently identified as likely candidates for purchase or expropriation by project head Metrolinx. A majority of those affected properties are in Ward 3.
“We got the letter. It looks like our building is too close to the street,” said Tapajna, president of the society’s local council that has sold furniture and clothes out of the store for more than a decade. “We’re trying to figure out what happens next.”
New project maps at a series of public meetings this month show the addition of a Wentworth Street LRT platform would push a reconfigured car lane into eight properties on the south side of King Street East.
Tapajna is trying to look on the bright side. Losing part or all of the store property could give Saint Vincent de Paul a chance to scope out a building with more storage, she said. The group would like to keep a store in the area and on the busy transit line that already serves many clients. “Whether we can find something affordable, or the right size? I guess we just don’t know that yet.”
Metrolinx and city officials have said up to 250 pieces of property might be needed along the main 11-kilometre transit line stretching from McMaster University to the Queenston traffic cir-
cle — though a majority of those would be “slivers.”
The 43 landowners notified by letter late last month could lose larger chunks of property. That includes more than 30 along King Street in Ward 3. Design maps show multiple properties affected by the alignment near the intersections of Wentworth, Sherman, and between Gage Avenue and the CP rail spur.
Metrolinx wouldn’t release a list of property owners contacted, citing negotiation privacy. But the rest are scattering along the LRT corridor through Wards 1, 2 and 4.
The thrift store joins an auto sales shop, a pizza outlet, a car wash, a body rub parlour and a bowling alley on the list of central Hamilton landowners who can expect land negotiations if the current design gets the green light. (The updated environmental assessment won’t be submitted until next spring, so more design tweaks are possible.)
The narrowest section of the King-Main corridor is actually found in Ward 2. But few land purchases are expected there because the design allows only one car lane alongside the LRT tracks through that pinchpoint, said city LRT point person Paul Johnson.
In Ward 3, King Street will keep two lanes of car traffic and LRT designers must deal with many older buildings fronting right against the existing roadway.
Metrolinx is in charge of LRT property acquisitions and is assuring landowners it is “committed to providing fair compensation” and reaching a “mutually satisfactory agreement” on purchases.
Ward 3 Coun. Matthew Green said he’ll also work with affected residents “to try to reduce the impact and accommodate them as best we can.” He acknowledged some opposition is inevitable — to land purchases or just the project in general. “But so far I’m finding those most impacted have mostly had an open mind.”
The latest route design requires a slice of property from longtime LRT opponent Dave Serwatuk, who owns a Little Caesars franchise and a car wash at Wentworth and King.
Serwatuk admitted even without the threat of expropriation, he likely would have moved his businesses and 25 employees in the face of LRT construction and loss of car traffic.
But the business owner, who has hired a lawyer, said he’s concerned about getting fair value for the land and business losses. “The top three rules of successful business are location, location, location … I would have liked to stay for another 25 years,” he said.
Chanan Ram Verma, meanwhile, is philosophical about the potential loss of his clothing store on the corner of Kenilworth Avenue and Main Street East.
“Change is good. Maybe it’s better for this business than that one, but overall, I think it’s a good project for the city,” said the owner of Rebelz Fashion Wear Outlets, which appears to be in the way of a newly realigned intersection for LRT. “Hopefully, I can stay on the street, be part of the change.”