There are not many topics as hot as housing. No wonder; Hamilton needs those built.
But building homes isn鈥檛 as easy as rolling out the construction equipment. Just ask Mayor Andrea Horwath what she thinks about a lengthy dispute with railway giant CN about the . Or talk to any of these about their upcoming plans.
Stories of squabbles between landlords and tenants attracted hundreds of thousands of readers
Once construction starts, there鈥檚 also the possibility of projects going sideways.
Here are a few instances this year when development went off the rails.
Neighbours in a Paris subdivision where apartment buildings are proposed expressed that they felt misled over what was meant to be put on the sites.
The Hamilton Spectator file photoParis, Ont., is well known for rolling rivers and a quaint downtown. But when developer Losani Homes had a chance to build in the much-desired suburbs, the planned for something big and tall. To that, residents said absolutely not.
A North End street was closed off, and neighbours temporarily forced out, when an off-duty building inspector noticed a home rebuild 鈥渁ppeared unsafe.鈥 The Ferrie Street East construction project, towering over its neighbours, seemed a little top-heavy and needed to be 鈥 a project costing nearly $300,000.
Building site at 279 Bonaventure, where the original house on the site exploded.聽
The Hamilton Spectator file photoAfter a home was reduced to rubble in a 2021 explosion, this Bonaventure Drive lot owner started a rebuild, but neglected to file some necessary permits. Calling the case 鈥渙ne of the most egregious acts of non-compliance,鈥 the city took permit-less builder Omre Taha to court, one of the contractor was facing.
Darko Vranich’s plan for a legacy project 鈥 donating an affordable housing tower to Hamilton 鈥 hit a snag. Planning staff’s reaction to the two-tower pitch for a vacant聽King Street East lot wasn’t as warmly welcomed as the Hamilton megadeveloper expected. Vrancor vice-president Mario Frankovich said the development firm would 鈥渢ake a step back鈥 after city planners noted problems with the plan and issues with some not-so-minor variance requests. Negotiations continue; however, Frankovich noted later in the year some
If the McGrowder’s wanted to close the deal on their new home, they鈥檇 have to pay an additional $300,000.
The Hamilton Spectator file photoRosy and Michael McGrowder were packing up to move into their new custom-built home when a call changed their reality. It was a lender for their builder on the phone; the caller said of Mariman Homes defaulted on payments to his mortgage holders. If the McGrowders wanted to close the deal, they鈥檇 have to pay an additional $300,000.
Grant McVittie in his tiny house located at Ancaster Springs Resort in Copetown.聽
The Hamilton Spectator file photoOver more than a decade, commercial property management and investment firm Forge and Foster carved out a $400-million chunk of Hamilton and southern Ontario real estate, including restaurants, offices and converted industrial buildings. But in recent years, cracks started to appear and now the empire has crumbled into a growing pile of mortgage defaults and failed projects.
Unhappy campers in parks owned by companies connected to Forge and Foster founders Joe and Mark Accardi spoke to The Spectator. , the city said a dozen tiny homes on wheels were illegally installed without building permits. Residents had just moved into the campers marketed as nearly year-round homes with water and septic tank hookups.
Residents of two Forge and Foster buildings, , rallied together in March to ask for help to protect their affordable apartments after learning their landlords could soon lose control of the buildings. Separate corporations that owned the buildings were headed by Joe Accardi.
Inside the shared artists’ space at 29 Harriet St.聽
The Hamilton Spectator file photoIn July, artists were asked to at Bayfront Studio District 鈥 a building owned by Forge and Foster, once briefly their headquarters 鈥 because of an apparent pending ownership change. Around 25 artists were able to rent space in the harbour west building at about half the market rate thanks to a partnership between non-profit Centre(3) and Aeon Studio Group.
, first for the summer, then permanently, amid receivership proceedings involving building owner Joe Accardi. The restaurant reopened in December as das Schnitzelhaus, a change in name and ownership only, according to their website.
in October. The movie studio firm partnered with Toronto-based TAS and Forge and Foster on their vision for a 14-acre arts hub with studios, performance spaces and 750 homes. Among the reasons for the plan鈥檚 collapse: the end of the artist space and alleged mortgage defaults by Forge and Foster also meant the loss of another building in the area.
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