The recent provincial approval of Halton’s Official Plan will aid in a developer’s desire to include Aldershot in Hamilton’s 2030 Commonwealth Games bid.
The provincial decision changed the designation of the property targeted for the games from “industrial” to “community mixed-use,” essentially permitting the residential and mixed-use development required for the games.
The 49-acre site is owned by the Paletta family and is south of the 403 and spread between the GO station and King Road. It is currently vacant.
“It would seem that with 1200 King Road, the previous employment layer has been lifted at the region and replaced with mixed-use designation, which would permit residential uses including the athletes’ village. The city’s official plan still only contemplates employment uses in this area, but the planners have acknowledged that they now must revisit the official plan for this area given the recent provincial announcements,” according to Councillor Kelvin Galbraith, who added that the developer is also considering sports facilities at the site.
The Paletta family has been hoping to develop this land for decades but has repeatedly run into land designation and environmental challenges. Now, through its development company known as Alinea, it hopes to use its private sector power to link to the Commonwealth Games initiative. It has not however submitted a formal development application to the city yet.
Hamilton’s bid for the games has not been approved yet.
