The three front runners to be Hamilton’s next mayor – Fred Eisenberger, Brad Clark and Brian McHattie – were all elected decision-makers during the 2006-2010 term of city council. That allows us to directly compare their voting records on multiple issues related to commercial and industrial land development including decisions to facilitate Wal-Mart centred big box complexes as well as the controversial approvals of the aerotropolis and city land purchases around the airport.
A 2008 city study warned councillors of a shortage of industrial land and cautioned them not to continue converting such properties to other uses. Nevertheless four large properties were rezoned for commercial uses including two developments along the QEW anchored by Wal-Mart stores– one at Centennial Parkway and the other at Fifty Road. The provincial government subsequently wrote to council urging them not to proceed with the rezonings, but to no avail.
The decision on the Fifty Road property in Winona was initially sent back to planning committee where an amended approval motion by Clark lost on a tie vote. At the subsequent council meeting in July 2009 Clark added a requirement for stormwater management on the property which convinced his colleagues to approve it 10-6. Eisenberger supported Clark’s motion; McHattie opposed it.
The Centennial Parkway complex divided the mayoralty candidates in the same way. The key council vote in June 2009 approved the Smart Centre proposal 12-2 with both Clark and Eisenberger in favour, while McHattie and current mayor Bob Bratina were the only opponents. In the same month, McHattie and Bratina also cast the only votes against a rezoning application to allow the Rymal Road Wal-Mart to expand. Eisenberger and Clark both voted in favour.
A side-effect of the industrial land conversions was pressure on greenfield sites such as the controversial Airport Employment Growth District (AEGD) also known as the aerotropolis. It was initially endorsed in June 2005 by the council headed by Larry DiIanni, but citizen and provincial government opposition forced the city to retreat. McHattie joined just three other councillors in opposing the decision. Neither Clark nor Eisenberger were part of council at that time.
A 2008 council vote endorsed a size for the AEGD of 1134 hectares. In the 12-3 vote Clark and Eisenberger were recorded in favour and McHattie was against. The final council vote came at the last meeting of the 2006-10 council and endorsed the aerotropolis 14-2. McHattie and Bratina were opposed; Clark and Eisenberger were in favour. After appeals by two citizen groups, the Ontario Municipal Board approved a 695 hectare AEGD in January 2013. A hearing on the precise boundaries is scheduled for February of next year.
Tradeport International, the private company that holds a 40-year lease on Hamilton’s airport, contends that the city is obligated to purchase lands for expansion of the facility. While over $10 million has been approved by council for this purpose, the decisions have rarely been unanimous and opposition has grown in the wake of admissions that Tradeport has not taken concrete steps to obtain required approvals for long-proposed runway extensions.
An airport-area land purchase in February 2008 was supported by Eisenberger but opposed by Clark and McHattie in a 9-7 decision. A June 2009 resolution to purchase three properties for just over $6.1 million was backed by both Eisenberger and Clark, but opposed by McHattie in a 9-5 vote.
The third major purchase took place in August 2011 when Eisenberger was not on council. The $3.1 million acquisition from former prize fighter George Chuvalo was endorsed by Clark in an 11-3 vote where McHattie was absent.
In January of 2010 councillor Chad Collins suggested the city consider selling the airport. That didn’t happen but resulted in a resolution asking staff to investigate the possibility which was approved 9-6 with Clark and McHattie in support, and Eisenberger voting against.