Will it be ‘lights, action, camera’ for Brad Lamb?

Television City project must jump over hurdles before it shines on city’s 1970s skyline

Toronto-based condo developer Brad Lamb is forging ahead with his flashy $360-million Television City plan for downtown Hamilton.

According to the city’s planning department, last week Lamb formally submitted his application for exemptions from height restrictions so he can build the proposed 40and 30-storey twin condo towers on the CHCH TV site.

“I think we have a very strong case for 40storey and 30-storey towers here, but it’s still early days in terms of where it all shakes out,” Lamb said in an interview.

Meanwhile, the marketing push is on. On Saturday, Lamb ran a full-page ad in The Spectator promoting Television City’s “modern high rise homes” and inviting people to register for a chance to buy.

And on Sept. 28, he’s hosting an invitation-only cocktail and canapés party at the historic CHCH mansion on Jackson Street West to “celebrate” the project, which he promises will make a big noise architecturally and stylistically.

Lord knows Hamilton’s notoriously tired 1970s skyline could use some modern pizzazz.

And Lamb, a colourful character, who’s got billions of dollars worth of projects on the books, on the go, and in the ground across Canada, is clearly keen to make his brand part of Hamilton’s ballyhooed renaissance.

Still, his envisioned “signature” towers, featuring some 618 suites ranging in price from $200,000 to $1.5 million plus up to 15,000 square feet of retail space, are still a long way from being approved.

Now that the application to amend the official plan and zoning bylaw has been submitted — along with required urban design, traffic and sun/shadow studies — the proposal will be circulated among various city departments for comments, according to city planning director Steve Robichaud.

That feedback will be shared with Lamb. Staff will then continue to review and process the application until it’s ready for consideration by council’s planning committee.

As far as timelines go, Robichaud says staff is cognizant that if a rezoning decision isn’t made within 120 days, the applicant can appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board. Ditto if no decision is rendered on the official plan amendment after 270 days.

Lamb and his local partner, Aaron Collina of Movengo Developments, bought the CHCH site last year.

The plan is to preserve and commercially repurpose the 1850s building and make it a standalone marker, with surrounding green space, for the looming condo towers behind.

Obviously height restriction is the biggest obstacle Lamb needs to overcome. Currently, the zoned height in the area is 15 metres, which roughly translates into a four-storey building. That’s Lilliputian compared to Lamb’s skyscraping vision.

The good news for Lamb is the city’s draft secondary plan for the downtown identifies a new maximum height of 12 storeys, which can be increased to 30 storeys if the applicant can justify the height based on sun/ shadow, wind and other studies.

On the other hand, city staff, after community consultation, take the position that for visually esthetic reasons no building in the downtown should be taller than the escarpment.

According to Robichaud, that translates into about 30 storeys high, depending, of course, on the grade of the land and ceiling heights.

The CHCH site is on a rise of land, which automatically adds about two storeys to the Mountain benchmark.

Currently, the tallest building in the lower city is believed to be Landmark Place, the old Century 21 building at the corner of Main and Catharine, which clocks in at 43 storeys.

For now, the no-building-taller-than-theescarpment is a planning principle that has yet to be incorporated in the new downtown secondary plan.

But staff expect to bring that recommendation to council in December.

What happens to Television City if Lamb isn’t granted an exemption?

“In this process, everyone keeps their cards close to the chest,” Lamb said.

In other words, he’s waiting to see what happens before committing himself to another course of action.

Andrew Dreschel’s commentary appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. adreschel@thespec.com 905-526-3495 @AndrewDreschel