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Nov 12, 2023

Proposed warehouse development next to wetland raises concerns for some councillors, residents

A sprawling warehouse complex is planned for old farmland near Hamilton's

A sprawling warehouse complex is planned for old farmland near Hamilton's airport — a property that's also home to protected wetlands, hundreds of old growth trees and the start of the Twenty Mile Creek watershed.

Some councillors and residents raised concerns about the proposal from Panattoni Development at a planning committee meeting last week, questioning the impact the industrial use would have on the ecologically sensitive area, and whether enough is being done to protect it.

Coun. Craig Cassar (Ward 12) called the proposal for 9236 and 9322 Dickenson Rd. W. "irresponsible" and voted against it along with councillors Maureen Wilson (Ward 1), Nrinder Nann (Ward 3) and Alex Wilson (Ward 13).

"We're in a climate crisis so building sprawling warehouses and removing hundreds of trees isn't a climate mitigation or adaptation strategy," said Cassar.

While four councillors were opposed to the project, six were in favour. A final vote on the development is expected at council on Wednesday.

The industrial space would be among the first in the Twenty Mile Creek headwaters, so it's important to get it right, resident and longtime environmentalist Don McLean told councillors last week.

"Once again we're making some curtsies to the environment, but the development itself is getting priority," McLean said.

The area was zoned years ago for airport industrial uses, with several pockets set aside for conservation, city planner Aminu Bello told the committee. That includes a provincially significant wetland on the north side of Panatoni's property.

As required by the city, the developer has completed an environmental impact study and will be adding a vegetation protection zone of 30 metres around the wetland, grass swales and rooftop and underground storage to manage stormwater, Bello said. It will also be required to plant seedlings for every tree chopped down.

"There won't be any negative impacts on existing natural features or the wetland," Bello said.

At the May 30 meeting, six councillors supported Panattoni's proposal for the first phase of development, which includes a warehouse and parking lot. Panattoni will present the second second phase of its development plan, to add more warehouses, in the coming years.

The ward's councillor, Mark Tadeson (Ward 11), supported the project because it's expected to bring thousands of jobs to the area, he said. Panattoni also developed the nearby Mount Hope site where Amazon runs its fulfilment centre.

"It does make sense this growth is balanced between our economy and environment," Tadeson said. "I support green, environmental initiatives. I also support economic growth."

Watershed Canada's executive director Robert Pye told CBC Hamilton that while the decision to build up the land around the airport was made a decade ago, "it's only now things are getting real."

It's up to council and the city staff to hold developers accountable to their environmental promises and push for more protections, Pye said.

"You have to appreciate that one [wetland] is a great part of the ecosystem and what a sensitive ecosystem there is throughout the Niagara Peninsula and into Hamilton," he said.

Samantha Beattie is a reporter for CBC Hamilton. She has also worked for CBC Toronto and as a Senior Reporter at HuffPost Canada. Before that, she dived into local politics as a Toronto Star reporter covering city hall.