City imposes heritage designation

(Updated) A parking lot will not be built across from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton any time soon. That’s despite the will of a developer who started chopping down massive trees on a lot he bought across the street earlier this month.

Victor Veri and a business partner bought this home for about $600,000 less than a month ago. The plan was to leave the house and put in a parking area to supplement the shortage of parking at the hospital across the street. But neighbours were outraged a few weeks ago when they saw Veri taking down the trees with a chainsaw. They hired a lawyer, contacted their local councillor, and after agreement from the heritage committee this morning, this property is protected, for now.

“We woke up one morning and saw him climbing a tree and i said, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘It’s my tree. Get off my property.’ He wasn’t terribly polite,” said Kent Newcomb, who lives on St. James Place.

Neighbours are thrilled they’ve managed to halt the destruction. Vera Lee-Chin has been renovating the huge house behind the one at 1 St. James Place.

“Number one, it would look horrible, a parking lot there. This is not the area for a parking lot. Secondly, i’m downhill from him. When it rains, it’ll come right into my property,” said Lee-Chin.

Victor Veri was cutting down the trees himself on May 10, and said he had a permit to demolish the attached garage and terrace. but after neighbours rallied city council and hired a lawyer, the work stopped.

Wednesday night, Veri was asked to leave city hall when he tried to speak to council. Thursday morning, Veri spoke briefly, but the city’s heritage committee agreed with council that the 1930’s concrete and steel home by Hamilton builder Pigott Construction should be designated as a heritage site. The demolition permit is now void.

“You know what the hidden agenda is. They want to stop me from going forward with a parking area,” said Veri.

Veri says he’s allowed to operate a parking area next to a hospital regardless of zoning like the one he manages across from the general hospital. City councillor Jason Farr disagrees.

“If it was the hospital who made the purchase and the hospital were creating a parking area immediately adjacent to a parking lot, to this bylaw from a long time ago, that would be a different situation,” said Farr.

Veri is now facing questions about his other parking lot.

“Now they’re sending me letters saying to close it down because zoning doesn’t permit it. Here we go again,” he said. “I’m tired of defending myself. I’m going to start suing.”

He also says he will fight the heritage designation at the provincial level.

He has 30 days to respond and go before the Ontario Municipal Review board.