Hamilton Council’s Public Works Committee will return from the Victoria Day long weekend to a long list of agenda items, including:
- An alleged significant encroachment of City land, with structures built on it without permits;
- Protecting pedestrian events on public streets;
- Making 75 & 83 Frederick Avenue available for affordable housing;
- Honouring Ulrich “Uli” Nitka;
- Watermain break annual report;
- Improving swimming at Van Wagners beach;
- 2024 DARTS statistical summary; and
- Tree planting annual report.
The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20 inside Council Chambers at Hamilton City Hall. (Here are the links for the agenda, and the YouTube live stream.)
City Alleges Upper Stoney Creek Homeowner Built Without Permits, On City Land
The City of Hamilton alleges the owner of 94 Kingsview Drive has significantly encroached onto City lands and built a driveway, an accessory building, a patio, and a garden shed without any building permits or approvals.
In a report authored by the City’s Director of Environment Services Cynthia Graham, the City states the lands are zoned for parkland and that orders have been issued to the property owner to remove the structures and restore the lands to their original condition.
Legal counsel for the City and the property owner are now at odds, and legal action appears imminent.
City Council’s Public Works Committee is being informed because “the scale and circumstances of this case are exceptional,” Graham wrote.
More details here:
Protecting Pedestrian Events Following Vancouver Vehicle Attack
A motion on the agenda will instruct City staff to quickly create a plan to enhance safety measures, including the use of hostile vehicle mitigation barriers, for public gatherings and events this summer.
More details here:
Making 75 & 83 Frederick Avenue Available for Affordable Housing
A 15.24-metre-wide parcel of vacant land at 75 & 83 Frederick Avenue will become an affordable housing site.
Right now, anyone walking past would see it as a vacant piece of property and wonder why there is a gap where two houses should be.
It is vacant because in 1906, the land was registered as a “road allowance” and intended to become part of what is today Edinburgh Avenue. That roadway’s terminus ended up being one block east, at Province Street North.
Now, nearly 120 years later, Hamilton City Council will approve “closing” this “road allowance” and, following the legalities of closing the road, make the land available to an affordable housing provider as part of the City’s affordable housing strategy.
Watermain Breaks
The annual watermain breaks report shows continuing year-over-year decreases in breaks.
165 watermain breaks occurred in 2024, with $2.06M in estimated total repair
costs.
More details here:
Honouring Ulrich “Uli” Nitka
The City of Hamilton will honour the man who built the popular escarpment stairs connecting Fennell Avenue on the Mountain to Greenhill Avenue in the Lower City.
Ulrich “Uli” Nitka spent years, stone by stone, creating the connection, now known as Uli’s Stairs. He maintained it for over twenty years.
He died in August at age 91.
Council will vote to match community contributions 50-50 to fund the $2,045 cost of installing a commemorative park bench at the top of Uli’s Stairs.
DARTS 2024 Statistics
DARTS received 847,595 trip requests in 2024, an increase from 818,239 in 2023, but still below pre-COVID levels of 1,188,727.
Tree Planting Annual Report
The City says that between tree giveaways and those planted by staff, 19,656 trees were planted in 2024, “falling just 344 trees short of the 20,000 annual target.”
Costs of Potential Improvements to Van Wagners Beach
City Council wanted to know the cost of improvements to qualify the City’s Lake Ontario beach at Van Wagners for the Blue Flag Program.
After considering various options, City staff state that it would cost $2.4 million in capital improvements for the City to reach Blue Flag status without posting seasonal lifeguards. The capital cost increases to $2.6-million if the City posts seasonal lifeguards.
The primary cost for both scenarios is expanding public restrooms and change rooms at the beach. Each scenario involves improving the beach and adding life-saving equipment.
Additional annual operating costs, without lifeguards, are estimated at $140,000 per year for washroom cleaning, maintenance, and equipment replacement. Seasonal lifeguards will cost approximately $270,000 per year.
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