Large Westdale student residence a step closer

18-storey and 16-storey towers would house 1,024 Columbia International College students

A large student residence for Columbia International College in Hamilton’s west end is a step closer to council approval.

The city’s planning committee voted 7-3 in favour of the residence complex, which will be made up of 18-storey and 16-storey towers on the southwest corner of Main Street West and Longwood Road South.

The proposed towers will house 1,024 students in 512 units, located less than 200 metres from the Columbia campus. A proposed LRT station is planned for the Main and Longwood intersection.

The site, formerly home to an auto dealership, would also include a four-storey base that would include a mix of commercial and retail space, two levels of underground parking, and 1.6 hectares (four acres) of recreational sports fields.

“This thing is going to be transformational,” said Sergio Manchia of Urban Solutions, who presented the plan to committee members on behalf of Columbia International College.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger said the residence project has “an enormous amount of merit.”

“It fits with our intensification plans and it fits with LRT,” said Eisenberger. “This is one of those projects that fits in nicely with this whole design.”

But a couple of committee members and a few delegations raised concerns about the size of the project and the configuration of the property. The southern two-thirds of the site is currently owned by the city and will be sold to the college.

That land slopes down toward the 403 highway and concerns were raised about the viability of building near the slope. About 1,400 truckloads of fill will be needed to stabilize the slope.

“That slope is more than meets the eye,” said John Terpstra, one of the delegates who addressed the proposal.

“I don’t want to see any more of Chedoke valley filled in,” said Terpstra. “Enough is enough.”

As part of the approval process, the project had earlier been in front of the Hamilton Conservation Authority.

Staff members there recommended against construction of the residence complex, but the HCA board overruled staff and voted in favour, subject to a number of conditions. The city’s planning staff recommended approval of the project.

Founded in 1979, Columbia has nearly 2,000 international students from over 100 countries.