Hamilton Committee of Adjustment and Secondary Dwelling Units: meeting of April 28, 2022 | The public record
Hamilton’s Committee of Adjustment (CoA) approved five of the six secondary housing applications (SDUs) at this week’s meeting.
All six requests were supported by City planning staff.
Ward 6 Councilman Tom Jackson, who opposes SDUs in what he calls stable wards, has asked the CoA to deny an application for SDUs in Ward 6 to 131 Winchester Blvd..
The other five SDU applications approved were: 77 West 4th Street, 101 Weir Street, 37 Paradise Road South, 478 John Street North and 28 Arthur Street North.
A CoA member opposed the SDU on Paradise Road.
Ward 8 Councilor John-Paul Danko wrote a letter opposing the SDU on West 4thin writing, “77 West 7th [sic] St. is part of the Bonnington neighborhood which already suffers from an overrepresentation of rental properties of converted single-family homes. Danko did not attend the meeting via videoconference.
131 Winchester Blvd.
City staff supported the request for a detached SDU in the backyard. The proposed separation between the main residence and the proposed SDU was 4.1 meters, while the SDU regulations require a separation of 7.5 meters.
The CoA rejected the request stating that it was too big a change to be acceptable.
“Community voices spoke loudly again,” Clr Jackson told the CoA. “It takes a lot for ordinary citizens to appear before a Council committee like this, that you are appointed by the Council.”
“Again, going from one unit to three on the same property that was traditionally a single family home for decades, in my humble opinion, is an over intensification and who knows the three can even lead to more and more IMHO, it’s way too intense for this property, and overall changing the character of the neighborhood,” Jackson said.
Nearby residents have shared their opposition, some of it based on concerns about the change and others on property standards due to existing issues with rental property.
“I feel like this is a leap down the proverbial rabbit hole to transform our city and our community into another ‘Toronto,'” wrote Cindy Gaston.
“Please do not allow this deviation to occur, either at this property or at other properties in the future,” City of Hamilton staff member Rebecca Tait wrote using her account. city official. “As a landlord on the mountain, I already see houses around me turning into duplexes and the problems that creates.”
Neighbors said the basement unit is currently being used as an AirBnB.
CoA member Laverne Gaddye confirmed it was used for short-term rentals when he visited the site.
Gaddye says he spoke to someone smoking outside the basement. “I said to him, are you renting the basement? And he said, no, we don’t rent it. It’s an AirBnB.
Owner Michael Sifontes, who describes himself as a “homebuyer,” responded to neighbors’ comments in his own letter to the COA.
He objected to being called an “out of town” because he states his hometown is Burlington. His letter was signed to his Toronto address.
There were letters in support of SDU, all of which came from residents of other areas of Hamilton.
Production Details v. 1.0.0 First published: April 28, 2022 Last edited: April 28, 2022 Author: Joey Coleman Edit Record v. 1.0.0 original version
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