City wants to buy land in Barton-Kenilworth area for 'demonstration project'
The city is looking at buying or expropriating the land for a mixed use development
The city is looking at buying or expropriating a block of properties in the Barton/Kenilworth area that Sam Merulla has chosen for a renewal "demonstration project."
The Ward 4 councillor has identified land around Kenilworth Avenue North and Barton Street East — an area the city has identified as prime for revitalization. The development would include residential, commercial and community space.
City councillors will get an update at Wednesday's general issues committee about the plan, which council approved in July.
Merulla acknowledged that it's a bold move — one that some called heavy handed two years ago. But strong actions yield big rewards, he said.
"At the end of the day, we're experiencing renaissance not because we're sheepish, but because we're bold," he said.
This is just the latest effort to revitalize the area. The city has already approved a Barton-Kenilworth Commercial Corridors Study, which recommends a demonstration project. And Merulla in particular is focused on revitalizing Kenilworth Avenue North.
Merulla promised in 2014 to expropriate properties in the area for new development, including affordable housing. This new effort is "making good on that promise," Merulla said.
A city staff report backs up Merulla's plan, saying the city needs to be a "champion for change" there.
If the city spearheads this, the report says, other developers will follow suit.
"The intention of this direction was to signify to other landowners that the city is willing to invest in the corridor, and is a pioneer in its transformation, and set an example of what to do, how to do it and the benefits to the broader community," the report says.
Plenty of properties in the area are commercial storefronts being used as apartments, the city says. Many of them are vacant or "unsightly ground floor residential units."
The goal, Merulla said, is "renewal."
This isn't the first time Merulla has used expropriation in an attempt to revitalize the area.
In 2013, the city expropriated the City Motor Hotel for $1.9 million — a property previously notorious for crime and drug activity.
The city demolished the property, and plans mixed use buildings there. Then last year, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that the traffic circle there will be an end point in Hamilton's current light rail transit (LRT) plan.