McMaster’s Off-campus Housing Project Faces Homeowner Opposition

Last year, McMaster University released the rendering of a project they were planning on developing as off-campus housing for their students.

Originally the plan was to redevelop nine properties along the South side of Traymore Avenue, but in December the Ainslie Wood/Westdale Community Association learned that McMaster University has since acquired another five properties and is looking to vastly expand the proposed residence building.

With a total of 14 lots acquired, the project’s size will increase from 950 beds to 1,400 beds over two phases.

McMaster is currently short 1,500 – 2,000 beds for incoming students, and completion of this project will keep far more of that off-campus revenue within McMaster’s hands.

Along Main Street, the residence building will tower at 12 storeys, dropping to eight storeys for the level behind it and finally down to two storeys for the side facing Traymore Ave.

As you can imagine, homeowners are not pleased by this news and the Ainslie Wood/Westdale Community Association have written a formal letter in opposition of the project’s current iteration. They are looking to negotiate with the University to ensure implementation of this off-campus building adequately answers how parking, shadows, and density will be handled prior to shovels going into the ground.

We’ll have to wait and see if the scope of the project reduces as a result of these efforts.

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