Developer says Stoney Creek condo project ‘no longer viable’ due to COVID-19

A developer tried using COVID-19 as the rationale for increasing the height and density of a condo project in Stoney Creek.

Representatives for LJM developments were before Hamilton’s planning committee on Tuesday morning, saying their approved plan for six storeys and 93 units at Highway 8 and King Street is “no longer viable” because of the pandemic.

Consultant John Ariens of IBI Group says the market “took a severe turn” and “building prices have gone through the roof” since the developers started selling units in 2017.

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The planning committee, in a 6-0 vote, unanimously rejected LJM’s bid to increase height and density to 11 storeys and 148 units.

Stoney Creek Coun. Maria Pearson says that is “absolutely too intense” for the location, with townhouses in behind and a retirement home across the street.

She identifies a number of concerns including height, density, privacy and parking, adding that “compatability, number one, is the biggest issue.”

LJM Developments has built a number of luxury condominiums in recent years in Hamilton, Burlington, Grimsby and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).