The Hi-Rise Group unveiled its plans for new condo units to be built immediately north of the Lister Block.

At a Renew Hamilton event on October 18, the development group announced the empty lot that currently occupies the space will be replaced with a mixed-use building. The ground floor will be retail, with three additional floors of offices and 100 residential units.

The space was formerly the four-storey William Thomas building, built in 1855 and taken down in 2010 as part of the renewal of the Lister Block.

Shawn Marr, the Hi-Rise Group’s director of operations, said that the 200,000 square-foot project will cost approximately $35 million. He hopes that shovels will be in the ground by Fall 2014.

“People start buying condominiums when there is a sense of energy and confidence in the city,” said Marr.

The Renew Hamilton event, a Chamber of Commerce initiative, was premised around the theme of energy and confidence. The event took place on the lot in question. The guest list included Mayor Bob Bratina, Councillors Jason Farr and Brian McHattie, Glen Norton, in charge of urban renewal for the city and approximately twenty architects, developers and business owners.

Founder of MGI Media and Publisher of Urbanicity Magazine Martinus Geleynse opened the day with a profound speech about the development trends in Hamilton from 1913 to 2013.

His premise was that the city focused too intensely on industrialization and highway development, failing to consider the impact on culture and environmental sustainability. He hopes that by 2063 the city will find a happy medium between these goals.

The Hi-Rise Group’s announcement provides a physical example of maintaining the relationship between old and new, as Marr plans to incorporate the façade of the old William Thomas Building while making it a commercially viable enterprise.

“Renewal is happening all the time…its live…its all around us,” said Ward 2 Councillor Jason Farr.

According to Norton, sales and campaigning for the condos will take place in 2014.