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Hamilton Waterfront
CHARTING A NEW COURSE
Nicole Macintyre The Hamilton Spectator (Dec 4, 2007) A new vision of the city's waterfront is trying to calm a storm of controversy brewing over the future of west Hamilton Harbour. The Hamilton Waterfront Trust has unveiled its proposed plan for the shoreline, offering a radically different take than a city consultant paid some $600,000. "This really is a compromise between all users," said Werner Plessl, the trust's executive director. At a high level, the trust's plan is cheaper -- about $70 million to implement versus $83 million for the city's preferred plan -- and offers more retail and commercial space to generate taxes and attract visitors to the harbour. "We want this to be a year-round destination," said Councillor Chad Collins, chair of the trust's board. The alternative proposal leaves all but one of the waterfront's boathouses in place, instead of combining them under one roof as the consultant recommended. The consultant's preferred plan, which covers Bayfront Park to Pier 8, has been under fire since it was unveiled earlier this year. The city is still collecting public input on the proposal before bringing it to council in the new year for approval. "There are certainly some challenges," said Christine Lee Morrison, the city's manager of strategic and environmental planning. But while there has been negative feedback from waterfront users, Morrison said there has also been lots of positive reviews about the consultant's design. She said city staff plan to meet with the trust to review its proposal before drafting the final recommended plan. |
Taking a different tack
Add more waterfront restaurants, shops -- and people will flock to invest, Chamber of Commerce boss says December 04, 2007 Nicole Macintyre The Hamilton Spectator (Dec 4, 2007) Who should rule the waterfront and who should pay the way? Those two critical questions are the focus of the debate over the future of west Hamilton Harbour. A city consultant has recommended an overhaul of the shoreline from Bayfront Park to Pier 4. The proposal, which would uproot several boat clubs to be housed under one roof, has left some waterfront users with a sinking feeling. Hamilton's Waterfront Trust, a nonprofit organization at arm's length from the city, has thrown out an alternative proposal that it hopes will be a lifesaver. So far, many harbour users are buoyed by the new plan. "It seems to be a much more balanced approach," said John Dolbec, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, which calls the waterfront home. The trust's proposal offers nearly seven times more commercial space, from restaurants to shops, to encourage the private sector to invest in the waterfront, said Dolbec. "People will flock to invest money down there." The more private opportunities available, the less public money needed to transform the area, Dolbec said, noting the taxes from development will also help pay off the city's investment. Councillor Chad Collins said the trust's plan offers more parking, overnight accommodation and additional public spaces -- albeit less boat storage -- at a cheaper price because it isn't paying for mass redevelopment on the boathouse sites. The trust developed its proposal after reviewing the consultant's research, public feedback and its own field trips, said Collins. "We've stolen the best concepts from waterfronts around North America." The trust's alternative plan leaves all the boathouses in their existing locations, except for MacDonald Marine, which the consultant also recommended be moved. Under the trust plan, the Leander Boat Club would undergo a facade renovation. Instead of one massive boating facility described by the consultant, the trust plan envisions a civic waterfront facility at the bottom of Bay Street that would combine the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club, chamber and public amenities. City staff plan to review the trust's proposal before bringing their final recommendation to council in the new year. |
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What did the city have planned re: parking?
I kind of like this idea, and appreciate the fact that it's more commercial oriented... I just like the whole Piazza feel over the a-typical "nautical/cape cod" theme most waterfronts have. |
I love this!
Gee whiz...the local boaters and folks who live here were able to develop a plan that is better than what some overpriced consultant gave us. Who knew?? They should toss that other plan in the trash immediately and go with this. The only thing I'd like them to keep from the first plan is the winter skating rink at James and Guise area. |
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http://lh4.google.com/mark.barbera/R...frontstats.JPG |
Thanks, man.
So the city had actually planned for 400+ less parking spots? Was that b/c it was all surface and the Waterfront Trust's plans for Underground? |
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I love the look of that rendering along Guise St. that would be great to tie it into the harbour.
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I love it. I grew up dreaming/anticipating that day that Hamilton took advantage of it's priceless waterfront--finally glad to see things stepping in this direction--we got the parks--now we need the vibrancy of commercial development. I love it...bring it on, more more more.
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Commercial square
http://www.thespec.com/images/assets/401568_3.JPG Civic Waterfront Centre http://www.thespec.com/images/assets/401569_3.JPG Leander Boat Club http://www.thespec.com/images/assets/401570_3.JPG |
let's hope this passes and starts getting built sometime in the next few decades.
It's a great sounding plan. |
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What's he going to do? Decide Fofty Point Marina needs more work than the Harbourfront? |
I think the Port will now open our new VIA station on a slag pile on Pier 24.
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Waterfront redevelopment on the table
Dec, 11 2007 - 8:00 AM HAMILTON (AM900 CHML) - The future of the Hamilton waterfront will be up for discussion when two key groups meet this week. The Hamilton Waterfront Trust will meet with representatives from the city. Both have come up with different ideas for the Harbour between Bayfront Park and Pier 8. But both groups say they're willing to compromise and will meet Friday to discuss the issue. http://900chml.com/news/news_local.c...news_local.cfm |
Double vision
Waterfront trust, city differ on plans for harbour Emma Reilly Special to The Hamilton Spectator (Dec 11, 2007) City representatives and the Hamilton Waterfront Trust will meet on Friday to discuss the future of west Hamilton Harbour. The two groups have proposed radically different visions for a stretch of land between Bayfront Park and Pier 8. "We're going to differ, because they're fundamentally different plans," said Chris Firth-Eagland, consultant to the waterfront trust. "We think 'year-round, all Hamiltonians,' they think 'boating community.'" The city's favoured plan features almost 1,000 mooring spaces, a large boathouse, and a non-motorized boating area. The waterfront trust's plan places more emphasis on preserving the natural shoreline and expanding commercial and retail space. Both say they want to make the waterfront more accessible to the public. The city requested proposals for developing the west harbour in 2005. The waterfront trust did not submit an entry, said Justin Readman, project manager of environmental planning. "We're not in the business of submitting proposals," said waterfront trust executive director Werner Plessl. What they've submitted is a reaction to the city plan. "If they have a procedure that we don't fit into, that's fine." Still, both groups say they're willing to compromise. "We're willing to work with everyone who has an interest in the waterfront," said Gerry Davis, senior director of capital planning and implementation for the city. The players * Hamilton Waterfront Trust: A Hamilton-based charitable organization Why you know them: Pier 4 and Bayfront parks Hamilton waterfront trolley * City consultants: A Mississauga-based team of architects and engineers led by ENVision -- The Hough Group and including architects Montgomery Sisam Why you know them: Port Credit harbour (an ENVision -- The Hough Group project) Humber River pedestrian bridge (a Montgomery Sisam project) Proposed costs * Hamilton Waterfront Trust: $70 million * City: $83 million Plan highlights * Waterfront trust 540 metres of new boardwalk, 1,200 metres of new water's edge access No harbour infilling Underground parking * City Lots of boat storage Bringing several boathouses together under one roof Multi-use waterfront centre Plan drawbacks * Waterfront trust Lack of boating storage space Multi-storey buildings that could block views * City Filling in areas of the harbour; net loss of water space Above-ground parking lots and boat storage on valuable harbour land Both plans feature: * A designated swimming area * An artisan market * More public washrooms and concession stands * Kayak/small boat rental Hamilton has raised water rates well above the pace of inflation for each of the past five years to catch up on overdue maintenance and reflect the actual cost of service. |
I found this online today:
http://www.detroitriverfront.org/ I've long said that a few simple steps could bring a lot more activity and life to our waterfront. 1. A carousel. Kids love it and what better way to revitalize an area than to get kids loving it. 2. Bike rentals. Add boat/peddleboat rentals as well at our waterfront. 3. Interactive water fountains. Awesome in heat like this. 4. Cafes/eateries. More options. Hutch's and Williams are good, but it's time for more. Also, all of these things could be done downtown too. My kids LOVE the small merry-go round in Gore Park each Christmas. Hamilton needs to plan some small, but important steps like this instead of always focusing on massive projects. |
^^ Everyone loved the historic corrousel (sp?) at Port Dalhousie before they tore it down. That thing was an attraction in itself!
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An old girlfriend took me there one cold rainy spring day and we rode that thing for at least 30 minutes at a nickel a ride. I'd always wanted to go back and ride it again one day. That news is a real downer........... |
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Ainslie Wood Westdale, A very interesting Bazaar featuring "Made in Hamilton" artwork starts tomorrow and continues every Saturday throughout the summer. See below for details and feel free to pass along to your email contacts. Thanks! Dale ****** please advise if you do not want to be on the Ainslie Wood Westdale email list ************ -----Original Message----- From: Meaghan McGregor [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: June 6, 2008 9:28 AM To: [email protected] Subject: It begins tomorrow in Hamilton Hamiltonians When tomorrow dawns, the Sabawoon (sab-a-woon) Bazaar will emerge on the Hamilton waterfront. On the rolling green hills outside the Discovery Centre, under the shade of the carousel tents, artists & craftspeople from around the globe who now live (or were born) in Hamilton are selling their original artworks.There are weavers and textile artists; painters and print makers; potters and sculptors; jewelers and ceramic artists to hand-bound Venetian journal making; graffiti art and fresh flowers. Enjoy the lively atmosphere of an ever-changing local Bazaar selling one-of-a-kind, high quality and affordable artwork that is "Made in Hamilton". It begins tomorrow and continues every Saturday, 11am - 5pm, throughout the summer. Visit http://www.sabawoon.ca/index.html for more details. Please forward to friends and fellow Hamiltonians. This is about creating a new local economy that truly reflects and supports the artistic, social and cultural diversity on offer in our city. With thanks and see you at the Sabawoon, meaghan |
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Looks like it is still up and running, according to the above link. I certainly hope it was not torn down!!!:( |
^^ Sweet! I hope it is, too. I haven't been to Port in probably like 3 years. I love the area tho... I wonder if they're still building that completely-out-of-place condo tower?
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http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/A...aspx?e=1053043 www.PortDalhousie.ca |
Boating clubs await city's proposal
January 12, 2009 Dana Brown The Hamilton Spectator http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/494616 Today is D-day for Hamilton's waterfront boating community. For the first time during the revitalization planning process, city councillors will decide whether to support the idea of encouraging boating clubs to share facilities. It's a contentious issue that pits a city plan, which called for clubs to come together in a marina centre, against organizations along the waterfront who say they don't want to move. The clubs own the buildings they occupy, but are on leased city land. City staff said a lot of the leases expire in 2016 and 2018. That gives the city the opportunity to shuffle the businesses as it strives to revamp the waterfront. The area in question stretches from Bayfront Park to Pier 8. The initial city plan was so divisive that the Hamilton Waterfront Trust developed an alternative plan, which many organizations on the waterfront say they prefer. It proposed leaving all facilities but one in their current place. Now, after months of looking for common ground, city staff are coming to council seeking a thumbs up on a set of guiding principles they will use to develop the final plan. Jill Stephen, director of strategic and environmental planning with the city, said staff still think the idea of clubs sharing some facilities is a good one, but it's too soon to tell what that would look like. "We can't get to that stage of the plan until we know that council is buying into this overreaching philosophy that we have for how we should approach the next stages of the plan," she said. But Martin Lipp, past-president of the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club, who will represent the Waterfront Stakeholders' Group to councillors today, said the consolidation idea isn't sitting well on the waterfront. "There's some really major cultural differences between the organizations," he said. "And although they get along really well, and they support each other, there really is an element of, if you like, 'Good fences make good neighbours.'" In addition to encouraging shared facilities, city staff are also proposing other changes, including increasing the amount of commercial space on the waterfront and maintaining the existing shoreline as much as possible. There also have been concerns raised over the $81.5-million price tag on the city plan. Councillor Chad Collins, who chairs the waterfront trust, questions who would pay for the plan to build new facilities for private operations. Collins said there's also still disagreement over the amount of commercial space that should be present. The trust has proposed 130,000 square feet and the city is proposing a revised 75,000 square feet. "With that comes jobs and new tax dollars and that's something that this community really needs," he said. But John Dolbec, CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, said neither proposal goes far enough when it comes to private-sector opportunities. Dolbec also cautioned about trying to entice private investors to the waterfront, while shuffling private organizations already there around. Still, others aren't sure that anything needs to be done to improve the waterfront. George Gage, president of the Leander Boat Club, said the waterfront is operating nicely the way it is. Area resident Herman Turkstra agrees. "I've come to understand how very skilled the people were who laid out what we have without a whole lot of fuss and muss and without big, grandiose plans," Turkstra said. After council makes its decision, staff will develop a revised plan, which should be available to the public before summer. |
I've always wondered why they have to screw with the yacht club people. The waterfront is successful at the moment, I like seeing all the yachts. They've been there all along, before the bayfront was improved. Just leave them alone!
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Waterfront is Public property.
Yes, the marinas have rights and have been there awhile. However, Hamilton is growing and changing for the better and the waterfront is pivotal.
If the North end is to change we need more access, and a draw for tourists like canoe/kayak rentals, paddle boats, swimming and picnic areas. The Marinas are very spread out semi inclusive. We need public docking and destinations like restaurants and entertainment. So the boat people may have to consolidate. An example of a partial success plan or developing project is: many waterfront dwellers on the Beach strip forgot that it was Ontario lakes and land and thought they owned or had exclusive rights from the street to the water. there were many upset to actually share their percieved "entitlement". The 5 km waterfront or beach trail was built or improved from Hutches" to the lift bridge and what a great paved trail we have. It must be preety good because I see the Roller Blades relay teams practice there. It may return to the 1920's as a local beach destination and with condo's and improved water quality a short daytrip for Hamilton families to go swimming instead of driving hours to Sauble or Wasaga. We have to learn to share what our tax dollars are paying for. It is an eye sore the leg of the Bayfront trail from Pier4 to Bayfront park. If there was a band shell at Bayfront imagine the opportunity to have festivals to celebrate our harbour heritage. Don't forget at one time there was a shanty town there. Hamilton has so much and must draw inwards the shuttle bus from down town to the harbour wants to highlight the waterfront not the sprawl of out dated boat clubs. Give them some assistance to draw watercraft as a destination and other clubs will have exclusive docking, dining and maybe lodging. Just time to tighten up the stakeholders and share. We need more ramps for boat launching and parking so more people will get involved in fishing and boating. Celebrate OUR harbour. |
:previous: Couldn't agree more. I have enjoyed many an afternoon at the Hamilton waterfront, but would likely have enjoyed more if I could have, for instance, actually had a view of the beautiful harbour for the entirety of the walk, or had access to more on-site amenities than a Williams Coffee Pub that is ridiculously over-crowded in decent weather, as well as rather mediocre (speaking as someone who loves downtown Hamiltonian cuisine) and over-priced.
I'm also speaking as one who is temporarily living in Vancouver. I'm certainly prepared to give each city its due, but Vancouver has a much more organized, contiguous, integrated and democratic (significant for a city often rightfully criticized for being too expensive to live in) waterfront, and it pays huge dividends in promoting tourism, boosting property tax revenues, and getting people out of their cars and onto bikes, rollerblades, or their own two feet. Hamilton's waterfront is beautiful, but could be so much better. |
I should add that a significant section of the harbour lacks a sidewalk (you now, that part where you have to walk beside a chain-link fence). I'm sure even flar would agree that that at least would have to change! Am I right?
Also, I'm sure that any future configuration would still preserve the current number of yachts for your viewing pleasure - and others, surely. |
Over time, as the industrial use along the bay decreases, will the area used for recreational use and residential use expand westwards?
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^^Westwards, probably. Eastwards, I don't know. Westwards is also a possible site for a new stadium.
I agree to some extent that there should be a continuous trail and more public access, I just don't see the need to alienate current users, and it also depends on what exactly they replace the marinas with. |
Waterfront harmony
To go west is easier and maybe use Princess Point to rent Bikes, blades and personal powered watercraft. The locals or Western residents could use princes point access (All free parking).
I didn't mean to close the marinas just tighten it up. Streamline it, build out and modernize. The Leander is a great size place and we need the RH sailing for the future. Just relocate the boat storage between Pier4 and Bayfront parks. And get rid of that huge warehouse across from Williams Coffee. Williams is way overpriced and needs competition. Open a few hot dog carts or a classy chip wagon (is that possible) or at least something until permanent business is established. When we have family from out of country a harbour ride and a ice cream is nice with a breeze off the water with a view of Burlington. maybe set up a helicopter pad towards HMCS Star or Haida and offer harbour flights. The boat people are very important, and i have heard of some people who buy a boat and use it like a cottage. Imagine $50,000 for a boat and a couple thou to dock it. plug it in and you have a home on the water. No driving to speak of and all the advantages. Sure beats a 2-3 hr drive to the cottage and pay taxes or a lease in Sauble. We should have more house boats! |
Boat clubs get a break: city won't force them to move
January 13, 2009 Nicole Macintyre The Hamilton Spectator http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/495198 Hamilton's boat clubs are staying put. City council rejected yesterday a controversial proposal to encourage the waterfront groups to share a facility as part of the plan to revamp the west harbour. Instead, the city will renegotiate long-term leases with the clubs, which will require more public access and upgrades to their facilities. "They get to retain their identities and we get better access to public property," said Councillor Chad Collins, who pushed the compromise developed by the Hamilton Waterfront Trust. A consultant's recommendation to combine the facilities had sparked outrage among members who feared their clubs' unique characters and histories would be lost. Former Royal Hamilton Yacht Club president Martin Lipp, who represented the Waterfront Stakeholders' Group, told councillors the plan would be like having a Tim Hortons, Second Cup and Starbucks under one roof. "Would you do that if it was your Starbucks?" he asked, noting the various clubs might survive but wouldn't thrive. Collins said he's also worried the city would be on the hook for the clubs' relocation and new building. By allowing the clubs to stay put and mandating that they fix up their properties, the city will likely take millions off the plan's price tag, he said. The original plan was priced at $81.5 million, but city staff plan to re-examine the cost based on the latest changes. Council voted to toss out the consultant's plan completely, in favour of the alternative plan developed by the Waterfront Trust. Both plans covered the area from Bayfront Park to Pier 8. Werner Plessl, the trust's executive director, suspects the process will move quickly now that the city has eliminated the major bone of contention for the boat clubs. "It's going to give the community a better plan," he said. "I think there's an opportunity to move forward." The city must still decide what to do with MacDonald Marine, which was not included in the trust plan. |
Think Hamilton could ever afford to replace the waterfront trail with perhaps colour cement or bricks instead of black asphalt?
Something like this from our neighbour.... http://www.900chml.com/Pics/Burlington.jpg |
Don't let's ask for the moon, We have the stars.
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I hope not. The interlocking brick is terrible for roller blading on which is what alot of people use the waterfront trails for. They do have some brick over in peir 4 park.
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NHL is nice, but Pier 8 is Hamilton's future
June 06, 2009 Terry Cooke The Hamilton Spectator http://www.thespec.com/Opinions/article/578540 Call it the tale of two leases. Coincidentally, both involve regulation-size NHL ice surfaces in the City of Hamilton. That is where the similarity ends. The higher-profile lease offer has received saturation level media coverage and will be decided by an Arizona Judge who likely couldn't find Hamilton on a map. Meanwhile, the Hamilton Waterfront Trust has quietly consummated a 45-year lease with the federal government enabling the redevelopment of a critical piece of the West Harbour. It's entirely possible that the second of these two leases will prove to be more important to the future of Hamilton than the first. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Jim Balsillie bring hockey to Hamilton. But in reality the city has absolutely no ability to control the outcome of that process beyond agreeing to make Copps Coliseum available on reasonable terms and success remains at best a 50/50 proposition. But thanks to the efforts of the Waterfront Trust and Parks Canada, the city now controls the fate of the public portion of Pier 8 and is committed to transforming the site by 2010 into a year-round destination for recreation, entertainment, art and eating. In many ways, Pier 8 represents the bridge to Hamilton's future. The waterfront remains our most valuable and underutilized public asset and Pier 8 is strategically located in the middle of it. Its transition to a year-round people place promises not only to reconnect Hamiltonians to their waterfront, but also provides momentum to pursue redevelopment of several other strategic public and private assets that will ultimately stretch all the way from the water's edge to downtown. Pier 8 is already home to a wildly popular William's Coffee Pub, the successful Waterfront Trolley and the architecturally interesting but eerily quiet Parks Canada (formerly Marine) Discovery Centre. The concept plans for Pier 8 strike exactly the right balance between public access and private amenities. The focal points include an ice rink, amphitheatre, art plaza and several new restaurants. The NHL-size refrigerated ice pad with a Zamboni and a wind screen will provide recreational skating for fully 20 weeks a year. In the summertime the hard surface will accommodate a wide range of uses from an artisan's market to rollerblading. The grassed amphitheatre will host smaller scale community/musical events while doubling as a passive play area for kids. The Sculpture Plaza will be located at the entrance to the Discovery Centre and will help to integrate the entire site with a piece of publically commissioned art. The three new restaurants will be accommodated in a single building constructed to architecturally complement the Discovery Centre. The restaurants will be privately operated in a revenue sharing deal with the Waterfront Trust and Parks Canada. Councillor Chad Collins has been a consistent champion of waterfront renewal. "The Pier 8 lease agreement and redevelopment plan is a huge step forward in reshaping the image of Hamilton," he says. "Now we need to work with the Port Authority to free up adjacent, underused industrial properties to build on that momentum." Collins sees a future for condos and commercial buildings on Port Authority land right next door to add density while taking advantage of the new waterfront amenities. Who knows, maybe Balsillie will prevail in court and we will get an NHL team to fulfil that other lease. That would obviously be a big bonus. But in the meantime, we should be thankful about the lease that has already been signed and is guaranteed to change our waterfront forever. http://media.hamiltonspectator.topsc...ce12bdd7f.jpeg |
Really exciting and excellent news.
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Loving this. Hamilton's waterfront is awesome!
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I love how there;s people skating and patio umbrellas out. That rendering cant be taken seriously
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Skating on roller blades with patio umbrellas out. Makes sense to me.
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roller blading around in circles?
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It's obviously an ice-skating rink - hence the blade marks on the ice and what appears to be scarfs that the skaters are wearing.
I think the ice and the patio umbrellas are just to what it will look like in both scenarios all in one picture. Not really a big deal. |
The best laid plans for the waterfront were the ones for the Music Hall of Fame. With outdoor ampitheatre.
This rendering to me looks like a bit theme parky. Ice skates, milkshakes, puppy dogs, tents, plastic furniture, and building facades meant to like --- gawd knows what --- a theme park?. It has no vision or imagination. |
i totally have no reason to go to a place like this. ??? think Hamilton >>>??? there has to be a reason why people will want to go there and not Starbucks on Upper James or Second Cup in the Village. This is not the reason. sorry
this sucks. I know... the view right? Ask yourself... why do people visit Paris' street cafes? Is it because of the stellar view of the Seiene? You can't see it. No it's because it's called "people". Mass convergence. People want to be where people are. It's so simple, it's stupid. Some of the shittiest places I've been, I';ve had to ask myself "wtf are so many people here... this sucks". Exactly.... it's only because people are there, that people are there. Waterfront.... make a reason... or forget about it. |
... it's just a drawing. I think you're being pretty overcritical here, considering.
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I went up to the waterfront a couple weekends ago and saw a lot of people. There is a trolley tour. There were rowers practicing right by the dock on stationary rowing machines, I saw at enough cyclists to fill an LRT train. The rest was filled with pedestrians. The place was packed.
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A public meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday June 23rd, 2009, 6:00 pm- 8:00 pm (Open House Format) at the Hamilton Convention Centre, 1 Summers Lane, Hamilton, Webster Rooms B&C regarding the West Harbour Waterfront Recreation Master Plan. The purpose of this fourth Public Information Centre is to present the Class Environmental Assessment preliminary findings, exhibit a strengthened Master Plan and indicate a design theme for the built form. Public input is encouraged on how to best implement the preferred solution in terms of achieving the long-term goals for the waterfront.
For additional details please see this link: http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyre...ticejune23.pdf |
Our Waterfront vision
Can we remember the Tara dump site and the after-effects like leakage. Ask Brad Clark or Ian Thomas.
Can we remember the Love Canal when a subdivision was built over a old waste site. Well if we want waterfront properties (every baby boomers dream). Imagine why travel to a cottage if you have a condo or cottage/home overlooking the Bay. So where are we? Some people are moving in the right direction. Collins wants bayfront recyclers reined in TheSpec.com - Local - Collins wants bayfront recyclers reined in The Hamilton Spectator (Jun 12, 2009) Councillor Chad Collins wants the city to investigate further restrictions for waste facilities in the bayfront area. City planning staff are opposed to requiring minimum separation between facilities, but Collins is worried the industrial area is becoming over-saturated with waste and recycling companies. "We have more than our fair share," he said. Council has already endorsed a 300-metre buffer zone that will keep waste companies away from residential neighbourhoods and institutions, such as schools and hospitals. Staff rejected a proposed 300-metre radial separation between facilities, arguing it is unnecessary and would block any more companies from locating in several industrial areas. Collins asked staff to just investigate restrictions for the bayfront and look at a smaller buffer zone. He also wants the city to consider licensing waste facilities to track their number and locations. :yes: :yes: |
Waves of change
The waterfront has come a long way from its unfriendly industrial past -- but what of its future? August 15, 2009 Jon Wells The Hamilton Spectator http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/618760 Water kisses the pier, a nautical scent in the air, sun glowing brilliantly in a pale blue sky. Just outside Williams Coffee Pub at Pier 8 on the west harbour, tourists pose for photos by a soaring steel sculpture, while at a table a young woman named Faye reads her Bible. She lives near Gage Park. "I like the open space, being close to the water, feeling the breeze," Faye says. Wind ripples the book's thin pages; she's reading from Genesis. In the beginning, or at least in the 1980s, you couldn't be down here on the water at the harbour at all. Never mind drinks on the Williams patio, attractions and rides. Back then signs didn't push the grilled pesto panini; they just pushed: Keep Out; No Admittance To These Premises Unless Authorized in Writing; Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted. These bad old days of the west harbour are fresh in the minds of those with longer memories, but for most that history is fading fast. Questions loom over where it all goes from here, but the city's waterfront parks have become hot spots where each year one million people -- that's million -- buy mochaccinos and ice cream and tickets for boat rides and trolleys, and honey garlic at Wingfest. That's just the annual tally from "points of sale," not counting those who flock to the harbour and don't crack their wallets. Look at the kids playing in Pier 4 Park atop a grounded tugboat, called the Bayport, that in its youth in the 1940s towed warships around Halifax Harbour. Hear laughter as they dance in the water of the splash pad beside it. Those kids were not present at the creation, not yet born, when it all turned around, 16 years ago. It all could have gone very much the other way. Hamilton's west harbour could have become the opposite of the now daily carnival on the shore. And, in fact, that was the way it was heading back in the day, the 1970s and into the early '80s. The word "reclaimed" is often used when it comes to the harbour, as in the people reclaimed the waterfront. But 30 years ago, the meaning was something entirely different. Back then it meant seizing the natural charms of the waterfront to accommodate industry, control and develop what were called "water lots" -- as though God's aquatic gifts were merely pieces of real estate to buy and sell. Back then a consulting firm urged the city to "reclaim" a 100-acre site "now under water" along the west harbour all the way up to Desjardins Canal, and landfill it for industry and port development. It didn't happen, but people were still not welcome at the water for many years; in 1984, just 2 per cent of Hamilton's 45 kilometres of shoreline was open to public access. Today that number has risen to 28 per cent. Back in the early '80s, a boy visited the harbour with his mother, anxious to see the tall ships that had arrived in the harbour on tour. Temporary fencing went up for the event, spectators were ushered into a small viewing area since most of the waterfront was an industrial wasteland. Spectators loved the ships, but couldn't even get a cup of coffee or soft drink down there. Still, thousands came, eyes were opening to the possibilities, especially in the wake of urban waterfront refurbishing sprouting in cities around the world. Some eyes had already been wide open for years, longtime North Ender and waterfront advocate Gil Simmons' among them. The day you could simply enjoy a beer on the waterfront, she once said to applause at a public meeting, will be the day we can declare the harbour is a people place. One day the mayor would call Simmons the "beacon, the beginning" for the waterfront's rebirth. "I think it's just about people seeing something, and being optimistic," Simmons said in her English lilt, looking back on it all. "And getting a bit aggressive, I suppose." In 1984 the city bought what was known as the Lax lands, on the west harbour by the railway tracks, for $2.8 million. It was 40 acres of scrubland that jutted into the lake, created as a landfill by a scrap dealer who had once scrapped the famed Avro Arrow jet fighter project. That land was destined to become Bayfront Park, but first came the massive undertaking to clean it up; the fill had largely come from construction of the Claremont Access, and other waste accumulated over 18 years. It took eight years to excavate and ship out the filth. It was the summer of 1993, 16 years ago, that Bayfront and Pier 4 parks finally opened in July and August. Bayfront was originally christened Harbourfront but there was a backlash against the name. Sounded much too Toronto. The west harbour beaches opened for swimming, too, the first time since 1939 that it was legal for people to take a dip in the harbour. And in 1995, the boy who had once watched the tall ships arrive in the unfriendly old harbour was elected to city council -- at 24, the youngest ever. Chad Collins took up the waterfront as his priority. "We built this city on industry, and used and abused waterlands to do that," Collins said. "But people recognized the potential, that they could be people places again." Today, the west harbour still has its boating clubs, but also the waterfront trail, trolley ride, cruises, wide open grassy fields, ice cream parlour, Discovery Centre and HMCS Haida. The tours, ice cream and bustling Williams Coffee Pub franchise are owned and operated by the Hamilton Waterfront Trust, a registered public charity, and all local profits go back into the trust for waterfront projects. (The Waterfront Trust was formed out of a settlement between the city and the former Hamilton Harbour Commission, which was a federal government agency. The feds provided funding in the form of a trust, with its mandate to protect the waterfront and find ways to connect people with it. The trust has 13 full-time paid staffers (four in administration, most of the rest work at Williams) plus 71 part-time seasonal to work various attractions, and five appointed trustees, one of whom is Collins.) On any given day, Williams is packed, other attractions bustling. On a random sunny Wednesday, there is not a seat to spare on the spacious coffee pub patio. It's not only Hamiltonians coming to the harbour, either. "A lot come from the Toronto area," Collins said, "because of the length of the waterfront trail, and how long and wide it is, you can't find public access like that to the lake anywhere in Ontario ... There are very few areas in Hamilton where there is this kind of buzz. The waterfront areas are the most valuable ones we have." It's all good, unless, perhaps, you are an old captain of industry type who once controlled the place with fences and barbed wire, who believed the waterfront was for business, not people. You imagine him as a white-bearded curmudgeon, visiting the harbour today. (Affect gruff baritone: "This is a PORT, damn it, not a playground. What about shipping!? Great Caesar's Ghost, now they have a tugboat at Pier 4 and she doesn't even FLOAT! And what in blazes is a latte anyway?) * * * For those who long dreamed of the waterfront as an attractive public space, in a sense it is already mission accomplished, the Miracle on the Macassa complete. There is still the matter of envisioning ways to link the west harbour with the heavily industrialized east harbour. That might seem a project for well down the road, but Collins said he recently took a tour of Burlington Street with Jim Howlett of the Hamilton Beach Community Council, to explore the untapped potential there for public trail links and increased waterfront access for recreation such as "urban angling." As for the west harbour, there is still plenty of open acreage to consider, at Pier 8 behind Williams, and directly to the east of it. And so the debate continues, if in a different vein than back in the '70s -- what should the future look like? A Waterfront Trust plan will advocate adding new restaurants and other commercial development, plus low-rise residential buildings. This, backers like Chad Collins believe, would not only enrich the harbour as a place to visit but also one to live even for people from outside Hamilton. The vision, he said, is unique to Hamilton Harbour, but the closest comparison is Halifax's waterfront, offering attractions and residential space, but with a small-scale architectural flavour -- the anti-Toronto of waterfronts. Some new construction has started already. An outdoor NHL-sized skating rink has broken ground behind Williams that will open this winter, and two new restaurants will open their doors on that location, likely by the fall of 2010. Even conservationists agree that the waterfront can use more amenities. Jim Hudson, executive director of the Bay Area Restoration Council, says he'd like to see more restaurants so long as litter is minimized, and also residential units that turn the west harbour into a vibrant spot 12 months of the year -- so long as the "view shed" isn't compromised by tall buildings that damage the waterfront's sightlines. "Let's avoid Toronto's mistakes, where they walled off the harbour with high-rise condos." Hudson added that a prime focus must remain turning the harbour beaches into ones where people are free to swim more often. Currently Bayfront beach is among the most often posted -- closed due to unclean water -- beaches in Ontario. He says the most effective way to create a pristine swimming environment is convincing people not to feed the geese. He pointed to the city of Racine, Wisc., that was once a rust belt casualty town, but whose beach is now hugely popular, hosting international beach volleyball tournaments that were once held in California. "Bayfront can become that, too, it is a great beach with fabulous views." Collins said that while the Waterfront Trust plan will call for new commercial and residential development, it seeks to balance different interests as well. He said the plan will hopefully be finished come the fall, and then presented by city staff to council for their consideration. In the end it will be up to the politicians to decide whether to adopt the vision. Not everyone supports the Waterfront Trust's approach. There is the view that development has largely gone far enough already, and the city should preserve the rustic and spacious air the waterfront still offers. Those who have lived and played by the water long before it became fashionable, lobby to have their voices heard. Boaters want their long-held place on the water preserved, and North End residents want development commotion kept to a dull roar. Ever since the parks opened, in fact, those who live nearby expressed concern about noise levels from concerts and traffic. Given where the west harbour has come from, it's striking that the debate now centres around just how many people should be encouraged to come to the water, not whether they would want to come at all. A woman from Grimsby named Karen Lemieux parked her car in the lot on Pier 8 near Williams, after a long search -- 170 of the 180 parking spots were taken. "I didn't think it would be this busy," she said. She comes down with her family all the time. "It's a real hidden treasure. Except I guess it's not hidden anymore." |
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