âHandshake dealâ leads to condo project at west Hamilton church site
Heritage committee doesnât want Grace Lutheran to be demolished
By Teviah Moro
Spectator Reporter
https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...reet-west.html
About 60 years ago, two neighbouring congregations in west Hamilton made a âhandshake dealâ over their respective properties.
That handshake gave Adas Israel first right of refusal to buy Grace Evangelical Lutheran should it ever decide to sell and vice versa.
And so a few years ago, when Grace Lutheran decided to pull up stakes, the synagogue to its south made a move, says Harvey Katz, an Adas board member.
The synagogue partnered with a trusted developer to ensure that housing would be built on the nearby property, says Katz, also a lawyer.
âThereâs a big need for community housing â like, big time.â
The âfabulous proximityâ of the site would allow Sabbath observers to walk to the Cline Avenue South synagogue, he noted. The Hebrew academy is right there, too.
As for Grace Lutheran, faced with a dwindling numbers and planning to merge with other congregations, the $7.5-million sale made sense. The church also supported the idea of having housing on the site.
âWe knew that our time there was over, so we specifically wanted to sell to the Adas for that purpose,â Rev. Loretta Jaunzarins said.
Now, with more than one development partner in the mix, a 15-storey building that will welcome residents of all credos is planned for 1107 Main St. W.
But for that, the small, grey church that was built with a gable roof in 1959 must go. And the cityâs heritage advisory committee isnât pleased.
âIt really is a shame,â committee member Janice Brown said. âIt is a perfectly fine building.â
In February, the committee recommended listing Grace Lutheran on the cityâs heritage register and adding it to the work plan for designation.
If backed by the planning committee and council, placement on the register would give the building a 60-day buffer against demolition, while designation under provincial legislation offers stronger protection.
The âbeautiful buildingâ has plenty of history in the west end neighbourhood and shouldnât be torn down, committee member Graham Carroll said.
âAnd I think it can be saved and incorporated, if a little bit of tiny effort was actually put into doing so.â
The plan calls for some of the grey stone to be featured on the condoâs exterior while its facade and stained glass would be showcased as part of a garden.
But incorporating more, let alone saving it altogether, isnât feasible, says Darryl Firsten, president of IN8 Developments, a project partner with Westdale Construction.
âThe first fundamental problem is this building is smack dab in the middle of the site.â
He said townhouses could be built around the church on the 1.28-acre site, which also includes a 1970 addition.
âBut thatâs not what society in Hamilton needs right now. We need a lot of housing, not a few houses.â
The province forecasts the city will see an influx of 236,000 people by 2051. Council, meanwhile, has chosen to hold the urban boundary firm, increasing the need for more density in the built-up area.
Some churches, but not all, can be saved, said Firsten, who also plans to tear down Hamilton City Centre, next to Jackson Square, to build a multi-tower, mixed-use building.
âAs a society, we have to do a little balancing act here. Weâre in an extreme housing shortage. What is our priority here?â
The heritage committee, along with community advocates, has also fought for the preservation of St. Giles United Church, a vacant more-than-century-old sanctuary on Main Street East that its owner, New Vision United, wants to demolish for housing.
Others, including non-profit Indwell in Hamilton, are incorporating churches into housing, Brown noted.
âThereâs got to be something better,â she said, referring to Grace Lutheran.
The project needs council approvals for zoning and official plan amendments, which Firsten hopes will happen this spring.
The project, with units including a range of bedroom counts and commercial space, would be located along the future LRT route, a corridor designated for higher density.
Other taller buildings are in the works, including a McMaster student residence that will also reach 15 storeys a few hundred metres to the west.
Coun. Maureen Wilson, who represents Ward 1, declined to comment on the Grace Lutheran project before considering staffâs recommendations.
But with transit, there is âboth the yin and the yang,â said Wilson, describing its symbiotic relationship with housing.
âIt is optimal when there is density in and around it because thatâs ridership, and then those people get to enjoy that immediacy.â
Congregants gathered in Grace Lutheranâs pews for the last time in March 2020, just as the pandemic took hold. This past July, they joined Trinity Lutheran downtown on Hughson Street North.
âIt was a lovely place,â Jaunzarins said. âIt was great, but my attitude is that you have to move on.â
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