Raise the Hammer

This is why some developers fear the coming of your or any LRT Line. Some developers know in their heart of heart's that, they will never be able to be a developer of city centre or brownfield housing developments. They just aren't equipped or have the ability to do it. They like suburban or greenfield development because it is very easy and cheaper than other forms of development to build. So they either see their supply of greenfield land slowly disappearing as very bad or fear that, they may never be able to sell what's left before housing tastes really change in the Hamilton area. The threat of an increasing number of home buyers away from the outer burbs to all ready built great centrally located neighborhoods, being uplifted by the new development spawned by the LRT line is real.

The effected developers then tell Hamilton politicians and decision makers that, the Greenbelt is forcing the price of developable land up, inducing an ever increasing cycle of higher, unaffordable home prices and there is only one way to stop this. Use the ability the province gave municipalities to shave a little off land from the Greenbelt so land price stays low enough that people can buy the houses they build. Thus making the kingdoms (Wards) of certain suburban politicians bigger due to the increase in population. Politicians love being the representatives of growing areas not stable ones.

Greenbelts have often done these things by design so that, other types of housing that wouldn't normally get built, can get built and therefore better use the existing supply of developed and serviced land. Developers who normally love to build greenfield type developments do not like their land supply being rationalized like this because the new types of housing generally helped in this situation by Greenbelts and other planning mechanisms, are not overly car friendly, unlike most suburban development. Thus it is more difficult as well as costs a lot more for the developer to be a developer of brownfield development and that means less profit for them.