Monday, the City of Hamilton opened the Cormorant Road extension at the Ancaster Business Park. The creation of this roadway opens up an additional 40 to 50 acres of employment lands for new business development and allows for improved traffic movement for the nearly 4,000 people that work in the Ancaster Business Park in the life sciences, advanced manufacturing, food and beverage production and commercial warehousing industries.
Over the last two years, construction of this complex $4.5-million project focused on installing utilities, including a storm water channel, asphalting the road, and working with the Ministry of Natural Resources to provide for wildlife habitat.
Established in the 1980’s, most of the 660 acres of employment lands in the Ancaster Business Park were developed under the leadership of former City of Hamilton Director of Economic Development Neil Everson, who retired in 2016 as the longest-serving economic development director in the city’s history. In 2018, City Council voted to provide a ceremonial designation for the road as Neil Everson Way, in honour of Neil’s many contributions the City.
Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson who had been pressing staff for an opening of the road said, “It was 14 years ago that Council approved the funding for an extension of Cormorant Road. I am very pleased to announce that the work is complete, and it is officially open to the public. After planning and engineering work, environmental approvals, citizen appeals to the Province, and addressing the nesting of Meadowlarks and bat habitat, the road is now open and available for use by the businesses and employees of the Ancaster Business Park.
more concerned about bats than transit users, Lloyd stays true to form. In a culture of low expectations, this qualifies as good news.