City to demolish crumbling buildings on King East
Fenced-off addresses a ‘blight on the neighbourhood,’ councillor says
The city plans to demolish what’s left of a stretch of crumbling buildings on King Street East after a brick facade collapse nearly two years ago.
Municipal staff anticipate a contractor will knock down 455 and 457-459 King St. E. by the start of summer with costs tacked onto the property owner’s taxes.
That’s good news, says Victoria Guoti, who operates Afrocan Food Market across from the derelict scene.
“People come into Hamilton. It’s not a good sight to look at,” she said.
All the while, Guoti has wondered why it has taken so long to deal with the fenced-off eyesore at the corner of East Avenue.
“Like my grandkids, I don’t like them coming here. They ask, ‘Grandma, you’re still hanging around here with this here?’ ”
The sad state of the inner-city addresses since the partial collapse in August 2022 has stirred negative sentiments for area residents and businesses, Coun. Nrinder Nann says.
“In short,” Nann told Tuesday’s planning committee, “the site has been a blight on the neighbourhood, and it’s absolutely stripped away community pride and sense of safety.”
Nann said the family that owns the buildings have faced “unforeseen challenges” and appreciates that “city staff have been generous with them in that process.”
But the frustration has mounted, with city orders to take care of the buildings expiring, a portion of the sidewalk and curb lane fenced off, and the worsening status of the structure, she said.
The site has also been a magnet for illegal dumping and crime, including violence, Nann noted.
“It’s in a state of extreme disrepair. It continues to deteriorate in its current condition. I support staff’s recommendation to demo the building and honestly can’t wait any longer for real action.”
The Spectator’s request for comment from the owner through Ellis Kitchen, which relocated from the
King Street property to Ottawa Street North, wasn’t immediately returned.
City staff estimate it will cost $242,246 to demolish the three connected addresses, which is more than the expected $222,092 reconstruction cost. But demolition will make for a “timelier remediation” of the buildings amid a “significant use” of municipal resources and “immediate health and safety risk.”
In August 2022, a part of the facade of 457 King St. E. had collapsed onto the sidewalk and street. Next door at 455, there were cracks in the connecting firewall while the parapet walls “appeared to be leaning.”
An engineering study showed that wooden beams along the front of the buildings had “suffered long-term deterioration which compromised the structural stability of the street-facing walls,” noted a staff report. In light of safety concerns, police and firefighters helped removing tenants from six units in the buildings.
To head off more problems, the city removed masonry from the front of the buildings and erected fencing at the front and corner, blocking a curb lane and part of the sidewalk. Initial costs to secure the property were roughly $240,000, but the expense of renting the temporary fencing continues.
The owner appealed property standards orders in a bid for more time to do repairs, resulting in an extension to Aug. 30, 2023, a deadline that has passed without work done.
Bylaw staff have issued nine orders for violations and applied $7,861.75 in charges to the owner’s property tax roll to cover fees, penalties and contractor work, along with previous costs.
Given the mishap happened in August 2022, Nann asked building staff why it has taken nearly two years to reach a resolution, noting the issue has generated a “steady stream of inquiries and complaints” to her Ward 3 office.
There’s a “perception in the community” that had the collapse happened “in a different postal code, that it would not have taken this long,” she added.
For any property violation, “safety is paramount” for staff, but “seeking compliance is also one of the goals of our team’s work,” said Alan Shaw, chief building official and division director.
That involves a number of steps and timelines tied to legislative requirements, Shaw said. Legal staff also examined “next best steps” with repair and demolition options on the table.
“I would say that staff did work as quickly as possible, understanding the risk … in order to come up with the best solution moving forward.”
There seems to be a “balancing act” between “gaining compliance” and charging scofflaws for services in such situations, Coun. Cameron Kroetsch suggested.
But at times “that runway, from my perspective sitting here, ought to be a lot shorter than it is.”
The planning committee’s approval of the demolition plan awaits a final nod at council next week.