By Craig Campbell, Dundas Star News

A pre-hearing for a local business owner’s appeal of the City of Hamilton’s rejection of a rezoning application was delayed three months, Monday.

The delay until June comes after the appellant’s apparently rare submission of a site plan to city staff last week – despite not having the necessary zoning in place for a proposed 6-storey, 48-unit residential building at 24 Brock St. N.

City lawyer Michael Kovacevic said the City doesn’t normally process site plan applications without the required zoning.

“We don’t want to deny it outright,” he said. “We want staff to be able to review it. I don’t know what will come out of the site plan review. ”

Stephen D’Agostino, lawyer for property owner and appellant Alex Szabo, said he wants to see if staff will give the site plan application conditional approval, or if they have issues which he would appeal at the same time as the zoning appeal in front of the OMB.

Michael Connell, representing neighbours Jane Lowry and Bill Hilson as the third party to the hearing, was not opposed to city staff reviewing the site plan submission – but he wanted to have a look at it as well.

“We’d like to have the same opportunity to review it, to see if there was any impact on the issues,” Connell said.

D’Agostino said he would provide a copy to Connell.

In addition to the three parties – the City of Hamilton, Szabo and neighbours Lowry and Hilson – 10 other residents of Park, Melville and Brock streets were granted participant status in the appeal, Monday morning.

The lawyers tentatively suggested returning the week of May 6, but other matters they have in process resulted in the next possible date to resume the pre-hearing falling on Tuesday, June, 11.