Barton Street
 

Well it looks like the proposed Barton/Ferguson retail has been cut up and made smaller. The plan is to include a massive 640 parking space lot for the General Hospital. The parking lot would face Barton. The rest of the land will be on "hold".

http://hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/81FC...01PED09325.pdf

What a pile of shit. More parking for the freaking hospital.

How about raising prices in the existing facilities to increase vacancy? Another surface lot is just plain stupid.

they will charge for parking on this lot. i have no doubt. Like Mohawk and Mac/HHS... parking is a big $ revenue for them. Why did the City create "NO 'street' PARKING" anywhere within 1 km of both campuses except for more then 3 hours? So that people will pay $15-20 to park on Mac/HHS property. And the City obliged them by making the walk at least 2 km for free on-street parking.

What's stupid is that Hamilton should tax surface parking lots like crazy. making parking them not viable from a business sense.. or at least worth it to us the taxpayers.

Build a parking garage then.. that will take up a fraction of the footprint and cause a fraction of the rain run-off. That.. . my friend... Tim McCabe *google alert* would conform to the Places to Grow Act. Not this stupid surface lot that you re-zoned to also include a 'drive-thru'. I guess we can expect the Tim Hortons across the street to move into your new utopia. Tim 'drive-thru' McCabe .... making Hamilton a leader in The Places to Grow.

What a wonderful urban design. Look at those... uh... trees. Why they called it a "parking facility" and drew a rendering of it is beyond me. Ironically, notice how the parking lot is empty and the street parking on Ferguson is packed.

you have got to be kidding me. this can't be real.. ahhhhhh.

This is a better rendering than that for the Waterfront restaurant! Talk about mixed up priorities. How can the city spend that much time and effort on a bloody parking lot for crying out loud. Our tax dollars at work, I guess.

Seconded, for a city of Hamilton's size you would think they would have many around the downtown, but i can only think of 1 or 2 right now. But i guess when you have so much land with nothing there, it's much cheaper to just pave it and put parking signs up.

What a great rendering also, now i can imagine myself there way before it's built :banana:

Maybe a apartment building
 

I see this is a sizable property and could go for the right price considering the neighbours (Wesley).
But just think people are tired of driving and paying too much for that privilege.
There are many employees at the HGH and all the new departments.
I think a ring of townhouses or lofts would be welcome adddition for the hospital.
Build it around the property and restrict access through design. In route and out route. Green space in the middle.
Very close and easy access to waterfront Ferguson and mary pedestrian bridge. Food basics right there.
this development would bring maybe some business incorporated with the construction.
Also a Tim Hortons next door.
Better than a parking lot. And not far from Main or king Street with downtown.:notacrook:

Residential could work if the design/access was done well enough.. there's so many people that drive to the General that there's actually a shuttle bus for those parking really far away... and people will do the shuttle and THEN drive home.

But nothing around besides parts of the Bayfront area is nice enough for most people to consider living in - homes are huge for single people to buy, and proximity to good schools and neighbours if they have kids is questionable.

I'm sure it would take a huge amount of remediation, but the building directly north of the hospital could undergo some sort of loft conversion as well. Get the right kind of barrier between that Burlington Street...

is this still going to be a parking lot? it looks like they're digging pretty deep... i thought it would be something more substantial... but i didn't even consider it being a parking lot until looking up this thread just now. anyone know?

What's happening with the illegal parking lot at Victoria and Barton? If the hospital gets legitimate parking, won't this have even less justification for existence?

Parking lot or not it'll require brownfield cleanup.

Lots of activity
 

Sure lots of machines and activity right over to Timmies. There is demolition across the street with the red brick building next to the used car lot.
Does anyone have any real info. It could well be a parking lot, but what about the Canadian Tire rumour?:shrug: :shrug:

wasn't it supposed to be a wal mart or something?

I am surprised that the building they are ripping down appears to be a very old building that was covered in shitty aluminum siding. I always wondered about it, too.

I'm guessing this is all part of even more space for hospital workers to stash their cars. It's getting ridiculous how much surface area they are taking in the area. Apparently demolishing the Stelwire plant (which was absolutely massive) wasn't enough.

Barton and Ferguson (south-east corner)
 

Can some one tell me what is the new construction at Barton and Ferguson?

More Parking
 

A parking lot for the Hamilton General Hospital

More info can be found at: http://hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/81FC...01PED09325.pdf

Seriously? It's a freaking parking lot. That's not mixed use, and calling it brownfield remediation is a stretch. Unless there's a residential/commercial component to this that I'm missing, that whole paragraph is utter crap. It's a parking lot. That's it.

It's a multi phased in project which eventually includes a commercial component.

It seems like Barton St is finally getting an upswing lately. According to Hamilton Economic Development 10 new businesses has located to Barton St, part of Real Estate Crawl.

LaLuna Express bought the old BMO building at Barton/Victoria.

http://instagram.com/p/fk9w49CWRy/

Pretty sad how little activity this thread has. This worthless comment should help beef it up haha.

^I wonder where everyone at the General eats. That's a huge market for La Luna to tap into. Should do very well.

I know a guy that recently bought 1/2 of the buildings, and according to him 3 of the stores, as well as the basements and apartments above, beside him are available for a combined 130k. The buildings on Barton are going for dirt cheap.
He's on Barton by Lotteridge.

La Luna is gonna do well there. Those hospital workers are going to flock there in droves. When I worked for the federal government on Bay street, everyone went to either the La Luna at King and Queen or the one in the City Centre mall when it opened.

I've wondered about this and also about St. Joe's when I moved by it. I asked my mother, who was a nurse in Hamilton a long time ago and she said nurses are cheap and don't go to neighbouring restaurants that often. Sadly I think she's right. Nurses are well paid, but they're no where near software engineers in terms of buying lunch.

Half of the buildings on the block near Lottridge?

Was his interest related at all to the stadium redevelopment? Just curious.

Nurses don't have time to go out for lunch.

^True. Forgot about that.

Nurses are cheap? No. Time is the issue.

No I don't think so. He bought two shops to use as a workshop and didn't want empty neighbours. Think he moved there in the first place because of how cheap it was.

Via City of Hamilton:

Public Meeting: Enhancements & Improvements for James, Barton, Kenilworth Areas

Hamilton, ON – November 25, 2013 – The City of Hamilton is inviting the public to a special launch meeting about enhancements and improvements to the areas of James Street North, Barton Street, and Kenilworth Avenue North on December 4 from 6:30pm – 9pm at LIUNA Station (King George Ballroom, 360 James St. N).

Although these projects take place in specific areas of the City they positively impact all Hamilton residents and businesses because these studies help determine how everyone can connect to the downtown, waterfront and beyond as well as create a City with even more great places to live, do business, and visit.

The meeting will provide an overview of the: Barton-Tiffany Urban Design Study, the New James Street North GO Station Study, and Barton Street-Kenilworth Avenue Commercial Corridor Study. Following the main presentation there will be an opportunity for separate group discussions for each of the three projects. The December 4, 2013 meeting is the first meeting for each of these projects and subsequent meetings will be held in 2014, which will provide additional updates and opportunities for input.

The public can RSVP for the event by emailing [email protected] or calling 905-546-2424 Ext. 4498.

PROJECT DETAILS:

Barton-Tiffany Urban Design Study
The purpose of the study is to determine what future development will look like in this area. The Urban Design Study will determine things such as:

Location of buildings, their height and setbacks from the street
Transportation (roads, transit, bike lanes, sidewalks, and trails)
Parks and open spaces
Access and linkages to downtown, waterfront, and existing parks
Location of parking, loading, utility, and service areas

Barton Street – Kenilworth Avenue Commercial Corridor Study
This study will look at the current and future use of land, buildings, and streetscapes, in order to develop a plan to guide the revitalization of Barton Street between James Street and Ottawa Street, and Kenilworth Avenue between Barton Street and Main Street.

Barton Street butcher is a cut above
 

Lina Lourenco is now in charge of her family's butcher and grocery shop on Barton Street. But when she needs her father's help, he's as close as a broom handle pounded on the store ceiling.

Joao Rumor and his wife, Maria, live upstairs. They retired last June after 35 years running the store.

No sooner does Lourenco demonstrate her broom method ("I just go boom, boom, boom and he comes down") than her father strolls through the front door.

He is proud that his daughter has taken over the business, splitting the ground floor space with her brother John Rumor, who operates a safety retailer called Rumor's Safety Zone, on the other side of a new wall.

"I have enough to take care of myself," says the elder Rumor, a Portuguese immigrant who worked for Highland Packers before buying the store near Wentworth Street in 1978.

"Lina was working for someone else and I thought why shouldn't she work for herself?"

Lourenco, a cheerful and chatty mother of two, says the butcher business has been in her blood since she was a young girl working at her parents' sides. Her three siblings didn't take to it but she sure did, working as a butcher for years for Fearmans and then Maple Leaf in Burlington.

She acknowledges that there aren't a lot of women in the business and she sometimes gets funny looks from new customers when they realize she does the butchering.

"I just love the people who come in. They are so friendly," she said.

"We really need to keep the little stores here."

John Rumor, who works full-time for a water main contractor, started his retail operation with a small booth at a flea market.

But it grew so busy, he decided to open a permanent location, says his wife, Julie, who staffs the store packed with bright safety clothes, steel-toed boots and other construction gear.

Lourenco, 45, did away with some of her parents' decorating touches in the shop.

A 2009 Paul Wilson StreetBeat column in The Spectator described it this way: "It's pure whim at work at Rumor's. A forest of plants fills the front window. On the wall, Jesus in 3-D, the Last Supper, the Pope, pictures of Joao's great-uncle Luis (the guy who gave everyone candy), a completed jigsaw puzzle of Venice, a place Joao has not yet seen."

Jesus, the disciples and the Pope are all gone.

So are Venice and the plants.

Lourenco painted the walls and laid tile. She wants to buy new glass topped freezers, big blackboards and overhead displays for sausages and other cured meats. She wants to convey the atmosphere of a European market.

She's also cut down vastly on the range of merchandise sold. The store used to sell everything from snowboots to appliances and neckties to Portuguese hats.

Lourenco is focused on deli and fresh meat and frozen seafood, along with a small display of canned food, oils and produce.

"I used to work old-fashioned, but she wants it nice and clean," Joao says of the store's new look.

He's just happy the store lives on, he says, while watching his daughter and granddaughter Ashley serve customers.

"When I see that, I feel I'm a great man."

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/43...s-a-cut-above/

http://static.wixstatic.com/media/ec...0_0.00_jpg_srz

http://rickmackenzie.wix.com/jet-cafe

It is a shame that the author chose not to clearly identify the name of the butcher shop early on in this article. It took a bit of reading between the lines well into the article before the reader could figure out the name of the butcher shop. It's a bit odd to have one of the five W's practically ignored by a writer. Yet another example why I rarely bother with The Spec these days.

I've missed having an old school butcher shop in the downtown area since Reardons closed up shop. I didn't even realise this place existed, although I do remember passing by a shop overrun by plants as described in this article. I will have to check this place out soon. For those still wondering, it is called J. Rumor Supermarket and is at 386 Barton St. E.

From the Downtown Update thread:
Wow, thanks for the heads up!

I had heard that Drew Hauser, architect and member of the HBSA (Hamilton/Burlington Society of Architects) had bought that building and wanted to restore it.

Check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRLn7LEL0VI That's Drew in the grey sweater at the 1:09 mark

Great building. Great project. Could the purchase and re-development of the of Westinghouse building be too far behind? And perhaps the City might even put the 'wood' back into Woodland Park - such a sad place now but old pictures suggest a much different history.

Those small business owners and artists who took a gambit on Barton years ago (even decades ago) might actually start to reap some rewards. Perhaps we've reached the tipping point - finally.

Fivefortyone.ca

http://fivefortyone.ca/wp-content/up...3-1000x350.jpg
http://fivefortyone.ca/wp-content/up...1-1000x350.jpg
http://fivefortyone.ca/wp-content/up...06-500x175.jpg
http://fivefortyone.ca/wp-content/up...2-1000x350.jpg

Wellington east a few blocks could definitely have a James North-esque vibe. That stretch from James to Wellington is a different animal unfortunately. If I were so inclined, I'd purchase a small shop somewhere east of the General.

Pleasantville
 

it is fantastic that Barton Street is seeing a rebirth and emerge in a more favourable light. long overdue.
Areas come and go and rise and fall.
An area slides or spirals downwards and at some point people with vision see an opportunity at a great price and start the process.
What is old is new and new becomes old.
It is great that the core and surrounding neighbourhoods grow and work against urban sprawl.
Now as these areas flourish the price goes up and the less fortunate get squeezed out or are forced to migrate. since the beginning of time people, herds or tribes moved to survive. basic instinct.
So if say Sanford & Barton evolve where are the people forced to move. North is not an option really. East , yet Ottawa area is seeing growth. With the new mall and Ottawa BIA.
So South and I dare say Concession Street.
Poverty and Social Assistance issues are a fact. Not a quick fix. A sad reality!
So one area's gain will be another's problem.
just watch the News or Police crime blotter. Parkdale here we come!:shrug::shrug:

"Eatery and Exchange?"

I must say I am happy about this development. I always thought it was one of the most beautiful buildings on Barton, it always had tinfoil in the windows which annoyed me, but that promo video did not help me understand what this place is actually going to be. It is a welcome change and with good intentions. They seem to be doing everything in their power to not be the seed of gentrification but to simply better an existing neighbourhood. I guess time will tell.

I know what you mean.

Not sure if this clears it up any, but here's a blurb from the FB page.

Digging into their site I found this: "541 is a social enterprise that is a project of a registered Canadian Charity (Compass Point Bible Church)."

I'm not comfortable with the complete lack of information on the objects and goals of this religious-focused social enterprise.

The Compass Point site is here:http://www.compass-point.ca

From that site I'm definitely not comfortable with this:

"Man’s Condition: We believe that all are sinners and are guilty before God, and as such are worthy of both physical and spiritual death."

I'm likely not going to 541. :(

But to each his own. Draw your own conclusions.

I was getting all excited about this project. I thought, finally, a decent place to sit down and have some coffee etc. Well, there goes that idea out the window. What a let down.

Here's your latte, sinner.

I do often take my morning java with a little extra guilt sprinkled on top, so this is right up my alley.

Hmmm...a little disappointing.

Thought it was gonna be a "real" restaurant. I'm not going there either.

Anyway, I hope it does some good.