If Hamilton wants more housing, city should stop selling its land, researcher says

Late last year, Hamilton city council reviewed some of its own land to see what options there are to build affordable housing.

It found parking lots and vacant sites in the lower city, on the Mountain and in Stoney Creek, and staff projected at least 150 affordable housing units were possible between the sites.

"There is some movement in the right direction," Graham Cubitt, the director of projects and development for affordable housing operator Indwell, told CBC Hamilton.

But the city must do more if it wants to address the growing housing crisis in Hamilton, he said.

Home prices, rent prices and the number of people living on the streets have grown dramatically in the past few years as the demand for housing has outpaced supply. Some developers are also sitting on projects to try and increase profit margins.

"The city has to stop thinking that the market is going to deliver housing for a big chunk of our population. If you're making under $80,000 in Hamilton there is no market housing for you," Cubitt said. "Nobody wants to build apartments that rent for less than $1,500. We have to come up with some other mechanism."

A recent report from the University of Waterloo suggested public lands are "key" to fixing the problem and cities need to stop relying on the market to build the types of housing cities need over the most profitable types of housing.

So, just how much publicly-owned land is there in Hamilton? And how much of it is being used for housing? CBC Hamilton approached public institutions in the city and mapped out the results.

Use the map below and zoom in or click to see city parking lots, and vacant and surplus sites owned by public institutions

"It shows a lot of potential," said Brian Doucet, a University of Waterloo associate professor who focuses on housing and is a co-author of the report.

Karl Andrus, executive director of the Hamilton Community Benefit Network, agreed, saying the map shows there's "immense opportunity."

The map shows the city owns over 20 vacant or surplus properties.

Of those roughly 20 properties, nine are going toward the city's affordable housing initiative. There are also three properties for sale with zoning that allows for housing. Others are up for sale or under review.

About half of the city-owned properties are in the core or the central lower city.