The Greater Toronto Area is home to many rapidly developing and urbanizing urban hubs, with Downtown Hamilton set to benefit from the upcoming Light Rail Transit (LRT) line. One of the proposals along the line is at 166 to 190 Main Street West, a mixed-use residential and retail project designed by Kirkor Architects Planners for BentallGreenOak and Sun Life Financial, which, following previous rezoning applications, was the subject of a December 2023 committee hearing on adjustment of permissions.
Looking northwest at 166-190 Main Street West, designed by Kirkor Architects Planners for BentallGreenOak and Sun Life Financial
The site covers 7,596 square meters and is currently an unused parking lot on the northeast corner of Main Street and Hess Street South and west of Caroline Street South. It is planned to transform it with three 27-story towers, each 87 m high.
Looking north to current location, image from Google Maps
In line with the development planning, there are applications for severance pay and minor deviations. The proposed separation would create three parcels for phased development, with minor variations to meet the unique architectural and logistical requirements of each phase.
Site plan designed by Kirkor Architects Planners for BentallGreenOak and Sun Life Financial
With 271, 290 and 340 residential units across the three towers, the development is expected to provide significant new residential capacity on the site. This design represents a departure from the previous proposal from April 2022, which called for three 27-story towers over two base buildings with a total of 905 residential units, 826 m² of commercial space and 626 parking spaces.
The previous design was designed by Kirkor Architects Planners for BentallGreenOak and Sun Life Financial
The internal logistics of the towers are planned with three elevators, which corresponds to approximately one elevator per 100 units. The western tower features a three-story podium, while the two eastern towers share an eight-story podium, offering diverse architectural interest and scale. Additionally, the design includes accessible entrances and pedestrian-friendly paths to encourage pedestrian traffic and community interaction.
The podium of the eastern towers, image of the submission to the city of Hamilton
The new proposal includes approximately 69,442 m² of residential gross floor area (GFA) and 984 m² of retail GFA. The development emphasizes community engagement with high-quality retail spaces along Hess Street, Main Street and Caroline Street. A total of 8,614 m² of leisure space is proposed, of which 1,053 m² is indoor and 7,562 m² is outdoor.
Different setbacks for each building reflect the different architectural and historical contexts along Hess Street and George Street. Access to the site is provided for vehicular and pedestrian traffic via a main driveway from Main Street West. Additionally, George Street would provide easier access to underground parking.
The West Tower, image from the Subjugation to the City of Hamilton
The plan calls for five levels of underground parking for one tower and four levels for the others, with a total of 619 spaces. Additionally, the development would create 482 bicycle parking spaces.
The neighborhood surrounding 166-190 Main Street West features a number of ongoing and planned developments that indicate recent dynamic reinvestment in Hamilton. Nearby proposals include an 18-story project at 215-217 King Street West to the north, while 22 Bay Street South is slated for a 29-story project to the east. To the west are the 23-story Apex Condos and 117 George Street towers and a 30-story building at 231 Main Street West.
Aerial map of the site and surrounding area, image from submission to the City of Hamilton
The site's proximity to major thoroughfares Main Street and King Street, as well as its location directly east of the Queen station on the Hamilton LRT line, are key to the block's intensification. The LRT, which runs 14 km through downtown Hamilton and connects to McMaster University in the west end, positions the project at an easily accessible hub in Hamilton's growing public transportation network.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more in our database file linked below. If you'd like, you can join the discussion in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the designated area on this page.
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BentallGreenOak, MHBC Planning |