Premier Doug Ford’s government copied, word for word, a developer’s requested changes to Hamilton’s official plan to allow an eight-storey condo at the current site of a designated heritage building — blindsiding city planning staff, elected officials and residents.
The application for the condo building had been rejected by city staff and council in the spring of 2022.
The request was emailed to then-Housing Minister Steve Clark by planner Matt Johnston on behalf of developers Sergio Manchia and Frank Spallacci on Oct. 4, 2022, one month before the province announced these amendments and dozens of others to Hamilton’s official plan.
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The request was emailed to then-Housing Minister Steve Clark by planner Matt Johnston on behalf of developers Sergio Manchia and Frank Spallacci on Oct. 4, 2022, one month before the province announced these amendments and dozens of others to Hamilton’s official plan.
While the majority of comments from the public opposed the province making changes to Hamilton’s official plan, Johnston and Manchia’s submissions were all accepted, revealing the influence they appear to have had on provincial staff at the time.
Local resident Jim MacLeod, a member of the Ancaster Village Heritage Community, described the province’s process that allowed Manchia’s Wilson Street development to go ahead as “really disturbing.”
Along with the Wilson Street development request, the province accepted Johnston’s suggestions for other clients to allow for housing to be built in Stoney Creek and Hamilton’s Westdale neighbourhood.
Earlier last year, city staff and council rejected Manchia’s application to allow the eight-storey, 118-unit Wilson Street development to go ahead as it contradicted Hamilton’s zoning rules and had faced public opposition.
But after the province changed Hamilton’s official plan to allow the building, the city realized it did not have “leverage” and decided to settle, said a notice from the local councillor in July.
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