By Mike GannonRead moreThe city of Hamilton is considering legislation that would require any home or apartment listing to be more than six feet apart.
“We want to make sure that listings on these properties are going to be a good deal for the community,” Mayor Michael Thompson said.
The bill, to be introduced to the City Council, would require all new apartments to have a minimum height of four feet and the height of the lowest three floors of the unit to be no more than three feet above the floor of the current unit.
“It’s going to make it harder for developers to get new listings, it’s going the opposite way of what we’ve always done, so we’re going to try to find a balance,” Thompson said, adding that it would take several months for the process to be finalized.
“The minimum is going to help, but it’s still going to require a lot of consultation and public input,” he said.
“I would like to see this passed by council before we move forward with it, because this is something that will impact a lot people.”
The city is also considering requiring apartment listings on commercial property to have the same minimum height as their commercial properties.
“There are a lot more properties out there where we want to be able to get more listings,” Thompson added.
The city’s rental market has seen a rapid decline since the height restrictions were introduced in September.
In September, Hamilton’s rental vacancy rate stood at 2.6 per cent, and that number dropped to 0.9 per cent in January, according to the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.
