UrbanSolutions is a proud member of the Missing Middle and Infill Subcommittee (MMIS) associated with the West End Home Builders Association. The subcommittee’s goal is to work collaboratively with the City of Hamilton and surrounding municipalities to remove barriers and enable attainable missing-middle housing — including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and similar infill forms — within established neighbourhoods.
On July 29, 2026, Scott Beedie of the UrbanSolutions team, alongside other members of the MMIS hosted City of Hamilton on a walking tour of infill sites around the Locke Street neighbourhood in Hamilton. The goal of the tour was to connect with municipal staff and explore examples of missing middle housing projects at various stages of the development process. Each stop on the walking tour highlighted the takeaways, success stories, and challenges experienced from the developments that were discussed. The tour provided the opportunity to experience the on-the-ground results of decisions and approvals made in the past for infill projects, and how they were brought from concept to completion. As a result, participants gained greater insight into the components of the development processes that are currently successful in achieving missing middle housing, and those components where there are opportunities for improvement.
Missing middle infill projects are often delivered by smaller, local builders and family-run businesses working with very narrow margins. Any delay in the approvals process, or overly restrictive policy which minimizes development flexibility can have prohibitive impacts on missing middle housing projects. This can make navigating the approvals process particularly challenging for those delivering this type of housing product.
That is why events like this one are critical in emphasizing and celebrating the collaboration needed by both the public and private sectors to ensure a full range and mix of housing forms throughout a city are realized. We are grateful that City of Hamilton staff took time to attend this walking tour and learn more about the development approvals process experienced from the private perspective. Together, we will continue to identify opportunities to improve this process and build healthy, complete communities for years to come.
