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Ancaster Update
In the spirit of generic "update" threads...
http://winzentest2012.com/wp-content...rendering1.jpg Wilson Street condos slated for July occupancy (Ancaster News, Mike Pearson, Feb 6 2013) A long awaited condominium project is taking shape in the heart of Ancaster. Homebuilder Winzen is constructing a 39-unit project on a vacant property at 95 Wilson St. W. at the corner of Dunham Drive. Brian Zenkovich, CEO of the Winzen Group, said the company is shooting for occupancy by July. Winzen is complying with zoning requirements established by a previous owner. Under the terms of a 2010 minor variance, the three-storey building will have a maximum height of 16 metres along Wilson Street to accommodate a pitched roof. The approved plan also included a total of 49 parking spaces, 35 of which are underground. At least two previous owners have applied to build a condominium or apartment building at 95 Wilson St. W. since 2004. City planning documents show the property was rezoned from commercial to residential in 2004. Amendments negotiated by a previous owner in 2010 also increased the number of permitted units from 33 to 39. With zoning and site plan approvals already in place, Zenkovich said all that was required to start construction was a city building permit. Construction commenced in September. “It was giftwrapped for us,” said Zenkovich. Along with a shovel-ready plan, Zenkovich said the property offers an ideal location, with major grocery stores, shops and banks all within walking distance. Winzen launched a marketing campaign for the condos shortly after acquiring the property last June. Since then, more than half of all units have been sold. Ranging from 636 to 721-square feet, condos are available in one-bedroom or one bedroom plus den formats. |
This corner has been an eyesore forever, as well as a vacant lot for over 10+ years. I am actually thrilled at the mediocrity of it!
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Ancaster nuns ponder ‘gift’ to conservationists as part of land-sale plan
(Hamilton Spectator, Matthew Van Dongen, Mar 15 2013) A religious order can sell part of a historic Mountain property for development — but only if it gifts a slice of valuable natural lands to the conservation authority. The Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate bought the 41-hectare estate on Wilson Street East in 1946 to use as a school, which in recent years has functioned as a religious retreat. The Ancaster property is known for its 87-year-old manor and elaborately landscaped estate, breathtaking views of the Dundas Valley — and a decade-old development battle. The Ukrainian Catholic order has until mid-June to fulfill the conditions of an Ontario Municipal Board settlement allowing it to sever the property. The main condition is a donation of environmentally sensitive land to the Hamilton Conservation Authority. “Obviously some of the land is not appropriate for development and everyone wants to see that land preserved,” said lawyer Paul Paradis. “The sisters have been wonderful custodians … The whole issue of selling has been an emotional issue for them.” The landowners met neighbourhood opposition to an early agreement with a developer who wanted to build 60 single family homes and 52 condo townhouses on the western half of the property, which is bounded by Wilson and Sulphur Springs Road. Sister Janet Kozak, administrator for the Mount Mary Immaculate Retreat Centre, said her order wants “at least the option” to sell part of the land, for financial flexibility. The institutional-zoned property is assessed at $5 million. But developable land in the area could be worth more than $500,000 an acre, said real estate broker Conrad Zurini. He said servicing, zoning and environmental restrictions would affect value, but added even eight hectares of developable land could be worth more than $10 million. “That’s one of the prettiest properties in southern Ontario,” he said. |
Nuns scrap bid to sell Ancaster natural ‘jewel’ for housing
(Ancaster News, Richard Leitner, Apr 11 2013) A decision to abandon controversial plans to build homes on part of the Mount Mary Christian Retreat Centre property on Wilson Street East is being hailed as “good news” for Ancaster and the Dundas Valley. Owners Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate informed the Hamilton Conservation Authority last week through their lawyer that they will no longer try to sever and sell a western portion of their 41-hectare home to a developer. A 2012 Ontario Municipal Board condition for the severance required the Ukrainian Catholic order to donate about 5.6-hectares of environmentally sensitive land abutting the Dundas Valley to the authority by June 23. The two parties had been in discussions and the authority had offered to give the sisters tenancy over a section of donated land to allow continued access to a pond, but the donation will also no longer proceed. “It’s really good news for the Dundas Valley,” authority chair Brian McHattie said. “We, of course, had a great relationship with the sisters. It’s better now.” Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson also welcomed the decision, but said he’s not surprised. Apart from the required land donation, any development faced several technical hurdles, including the need to relocate water pumping stations because of a gap between rock elevation and the water table, he said. A previous plan, also abandoned, had sought to build 62 homes and 54 stacked townhouses there. “It was just too expensive to service and so that’s why the developer who was going to purchase the property has stepped back,” Ferguson said. “I think the community will be thrilled about this. It’s a gorgeous piece of property. It’s a jewel right in the middle of Ancaster and there was some real uneasiness about going in and developing, even if it was on a third of the property.” |
Board seeks OK to buy land for second Meadowlands school
(Ancaster News, Richard Leitner, June 6 2013) The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is taking the first step toward buying a site for a second elementary school in the ever-expanding Ancaster Meadowlands as it struggles to find room for students in the existing one. Trustees emerged from a brief closed session last week to approve acquiring a site in the new Tiffany Hill neighbourhood subject to approval by the Ministry of Education. Development plans for the neighbourhood, located on the north side of Garner Road East between Springbrook Avenue and Raymond Road, already set aside a 2.5-hectare spot for the school next to a two-hectare park. The board sought $9.5-million for a 500-seat school as part of last-year’s capital priorities submission to the ministry, but came up empty-handed. “It remains to be seen where the funding for that will come,” board chair Tim Simmons said, citing the sale of surplus land as one of the few other available ways to raise money. Senior facilities officer Dan Del Bianco said staff is resubmitting the request for ministry funding this year, but the initial goal of opening the school in September 2014 will be pushed back a year even if funding does come through. |
Ancaster’s historic Hermitage ruins set to come down
(Ancaster News, Richard Leitner, June 20 2013) Against the advice of its own heritage consultant, the Hamilton Conservation Authority is proposing to lower the walls of Ancaster’s decaying Hermitage ruins to “a safe height.” Director of land management Tony Horvat said the plan, estimated to cost between $125,000 and $190,000, is the most affordable and sustainable way to preserve the remnants of the 1855 stone mansion, destroyed by a 1934 fire. Acquired by the authority in 1972, the Sulphur Springs Road ruins have seen a continued decline because of their exposure to the elements and will likely topple over in three to five years if nothing is done, he said. They are presently fenced to try to keep visitors out and the 35-foot-high walls (10.7 metres) appear to lean precariously in spots even with bracing to keep them in place. The proposal requires a more detailed study but would likely reduce their height to two metres, possibly lower, and allow the ruins to be reopened to the public. “This was never a structure that was meant to be a free-standing thing out in the wild. It was part of a house, it was heated from the inside, it was maintained,” Horvat said during a tour with members of the authority’s conservation advisory board. “For over 50 years, it’s been freezing from all sides, water and everything’s been attacking it. We keep trying to seal it, but it’s a very tough thing,” he said, estimating the authority has spent $200,000 on the ruins over the years. “It’s becoming unsafe because the original lime mortar is disintegrating; it’s leaching out of the walls, partly because of the frost and water getting into it.” The authority proposal is considerably cheaper than the option favoured by Guelph-based PJ Materials Consultants, an expert on heritage restorations whose work includes the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. As “a minimum intervention,” it recommended restoring the existing walls of the main house and two secondary buildings at a cost of $365,000 to $600,000. But the firm preferred “a maximum restoration” that would run an estimated $535,000 to $940,000 and stabilize the ruins for at least 35 years. The authority proposal closest mirrors an option rejected by PJ Materials as “an extreme form of intervention” that runs contrary to federal standards for the conservation of historic sites and Ontario Heritage Act bylaws that apply to the ruins. But Horvat said the more costly options are beyond the authority’s financial means and there are several examples in southern Ontario of lowering ruins, like the DeCou House in Thorold, which played a key role in the War of 1812. He said the authority plan, which requires a city permit, will help reestablish the ruins as a visitor destination in an area that also includes two other heritage structures, the Griffin House and nearby Gatehouse Museum. “We can’t ignore it in its current state. We’ve got to do something,” Horvat said, noting trespassers are ignoring the fencing and climbing the walls’ braces. “We have people posting on the Internet pictures of themselves on the tops of the walls.” The advisory committee backed the proposal, albeit with some reservations. “I have a problem with saying we can’t afford to do the complete renovations at a million dollars,” authority director Duke O’Sullivan said, suggesting the authority could borrow the money at a reasonable rate. “To say we can’t do it because we don’t have the money for a heritage site I think is a narrow approach.” But Horvat said full restoration will require the ruins to be addressed again in 35 years or sooner because the same erosion will occur. “Hamilton is in a medium earthquake zone. We get a good shake of this thing and it’s coming down,” he said. “There’s a lot of technical reasons that I think make any restoration at the full height an iffy prospect.” Advisory board member John Shaw said he believes visitors will still get the same impression of the structure under the authority plan. “It’s really trying to illustrate to the visitor, ‘This is what was here,’ and it is ruins,” he said. “It’s identified as ruins when you walk in. You’re not expecting a full-storey structure, necessarily.” The proposal is scheduled to go to the authority’s board of directors in July and if they give the go-ahead, Horvat said he will report on progress on a detailed design for the project and required permit approvals by the end of the year. Chief administrative officer Chris Firth-Eagland said the authority has held preliminary discussions with Hamilton’s municipal heritage committee and it appears receptive. He said although the ruins are visually “quite stunning,” there are other authority sites of far more historical significance requiring attention, like the Darnley Grist Mill by Crooks’ Hollow in Greensville, a former industrial hub that predated Hamilton. “It’s going to fall in the river,” he said. “It’s truly a significant piece of history that as a group we should try to tackle with what’s the right way to manage that for future generations.” Hermitage History At A Glance 1793 – 162-acre property deeded to Henry Chrysler by Crown 1826 – Ancaster’s first Presbyterian minister, Rev. George Sheed, builds frame manse on land 1833 – Retired British officer Otto Ives purchases site and renames it The Hermitage 1855 – purchased by George Leith, who builds stone mansion as summer home and hobby farm 1902 – purchased by Leith’s eccentric daughter, Alma, from siblings for $5,500. She lets livestock wander in and out of mansion 1934 – mansion destroyed by fire but Alma continues living there until her death, in 1942, in one-room cabin built inside the ruins’ walls 1948 – property sold by her heirs to private buyer 1972 – conservation authority acquires site 1973-74 – 20 acres around ruins designated as historic area 1990 – ruins and nearby gatehouse get historic designation 2007 – site put on city’s List of Designated Heritage Properties and Heritage Easements under the Ontario Heritage Act. Source: Hamilton Conservation Authority |
The Spec ran a condensed version of the above Leitner story on June 28 (without byline). Among its edits: the last three paragraphs, which lay out HCA CAO Chris Firth-Eagland's concerns about the preservation of Darnley Grist Mills, described as being "truly a significant piece of history."
Also: An HCA's history of the Heritage property. |
Another condo project planned
(Ancaster News, Kevin Werner, Oct 8 2013) It’s going to get even more crowded along Wilson Street. While members of the Ancaster Community Council weren’t enthusiastic about a new 79-unit, three-storey condominium development at 153 Wilson St., they didn’t put up much of an opposition to the proposed plans. “It’s tough to stop this one,” said Bruce Gabel, a member of the council. “But you better get ready for the next one and the next one.” The condominium unit being proposed by Starward Homes on the 0.47-hectare property will be located beside the Stonegate condominium development and Wilson Woods, another residential development. Across the street is the existing Ancaster Mews development. The Ontario Municipal Board last year allowed the Stonegate development, against the wishes of some residents, and even allowed the building to exceed Ancaster’s 10.5-metre height restrictions. The new condo unit will meet the former town’s height bylaw, said Brandon Campbell, vice-president of Starwood Homes. Originally, the proposal had 96 units in the three-storey building, with peaked roofs. The new design cuts the number of units, creates a flat roof, with three-storeys on 60 per cent of the building, while the remaining structure will be two-storeys. The condo is focused on the upscale boomer market, with electric car charging stations, a residential bike share program, media room, gym area and wine locker. Still, the most dominating aspect of the development is its density. The planning requirement for Ancaster allows for 60 units per hectare. The development will have 161 units per hectare. “Density is an issue,” acknowledged Brenda Khes, on behalf of Starward Homes, who presented the concept to the council Oct. 7. The developer will be asking planning staff, and councillors for a rezoning application to allow the development. After talking with Ancaster councillor Lloyd Ferguson and discussing the proposal with the neighbours, the developer has proposed a nine-metre set back to the Wilson Woods property and a five-metre setback to Stonegate. The front and back will have a 1.5-metre setback. There will be 24 visitor parking spaces on the surface and 109 spots underground. While council members didn’t have an issue with the development, they were worried about the impact the project will have on the area. Robert Cunliffe said Wilson Street is already jammed with vehicles, especially on Saturday. By adding another development, it will only create further traffic issues. Gabel echoed that sentiment. “The design is great,” he said. “But traffic is a concern. It’s total (traffic) blockage on Saturday. It looks like a car parade from Halson Street to the shopping area.” Added council member Todd Knowles: “They are putting as many units as they can squeeze on it.” |
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New Meadowlands school jumps up funding wish list
(Ancaster News, Richard Leitner, Oct 30 2013) A new elementary school in the Ancaster Meadowlands has jumped up three spots and now sits fourth on the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s wish list for provincial funding. Trustees on Monday approved eight priority projects for this year’s capital request to the Ministry of Education, including upgrades to address $14 million in deferred maintenance at Ancaster High School, seventh on the list. The top priority is funding for a new high school in the area of Upper Sherman Avenue and Rymal Road East, a plan now including a partnership with the French public board for an adjoining school for up to 500 students in grades 7 to 12. Senior facilities officer Dan Del Bianco said the priority projects partly reflect two new criteria this year: partnerships with co-terminus boards, to be given primary consideration, and renewal needs. The latter applies to Ancaster High, identified as being in “poor” condition in the board’s long-term facilities master plan. The new Meadowland school is meanwhile one of three projects submitted under the “accommodation pressures” category. The board has already purchased a 2.5-hectare property for the school in the Tiffany Hill neighbourhood, located on the north side of Garner Road East betweenS pringbrook Avenue and Raymond Road. The site sits next to a two-hectare city park. Del Bianco said the board is seeking funding for a school of 500 to 600 students, one expected to cost $7 million to $10 million. In its submission to the ministry, the board notes the Meadowlands’ existing elementary school, Ancaster Meadow, already has nine portable classrooms and new homes continue to be built in the area. “We believe there’s quite a strong business case,” Del Bianco said. “Accommodation pressures are typically what the ministry funds first and foremost because you need to have spaces to put students in.” While new schools must be completed by the 2016-17 school year to qualify for funding, Del Bianco said the Meadowlands school can open sooner. It’s expected to take about a year to build. The board initially hoped to have the school open next September, when Ancaster Meadow is set to introduce all-day kindergarten and projected to exceed an 850-student washroom limit. Del Bianco said the board could add washrooms, but a new school makes more sense, given the land is already in hand and more residential growth is on the way. “That’s ultimately what these business cases (for funding) have to reflect,” he said. “It’s the long-term, sustainable need.” Trustees lifted an enrolment cap of 750 at Ancaster Meadow last fall to accommodate growth in the area, expected to add more than 800 homes just from surveys already underway. Back then, the school had 756 students – 178 above capacity – and seven portables. Overflow students in the Meadowlands had been directed to Rousseau and Ancaster Senior in September 2010, but the introduction of all-day kindergarten at Rousseau pushed its enrolment to near-capacity, prompting the lifting of the 750 cap. The three schools, along with C.H. Bray, Fessenden and Queen’s Rangers, are slated for an accommodation review in 2015, part of an overall effort to cut 5,000 surplus pupil spaces at 80 of the board’s 95 elementary schools. While enrolment varies widely, the Ancaster schools have about 150 more students than their combined capacity, with Ancaster Meadow and C.H. Bray the most overcrowded and Queen’s Rangers in Copetown having the fewest students at 131, well shy of a 190 capacity. |
Cash for stalled Hamilton seniors centre at risk
(Hamilton Spectator, Matthew Van Dongen, Nov 29 2013) The city is scrambling to hold on to $500,000 in government cash for a stalled seniors centre expansion after the contractor was fired mid-project. The city broke ground in June on a $1.75-million, 3,600-square-foot expansion of the Ancaster Senior Achievement Centre. Nearly a third of the budget will come from the federal government — so long as the Alberton Road project is finished by March 31. But work stopped abruptly almost a month ago after the city fired contractor Jagen Construction for “breach of contract issues,” said city project manager Marnie Cluckie. Cluckie declined to say exactly what went wrong, but members of the centre advisory board publicly expressed concern about the glacial pace of construction in September. “We could see the deadline looming in front of us, so we were worried,” said Al Gordon, board chair for the 1,000-strong senior centre’s membership, which is responsible for $500,000 in project funding. “No one wants to see that (federal) contribution in danger.” A Jagen representative declined to comment by cellphone Thursday. Messages left at the office were not returned. Cluckie said the city is still “aiming” for March 31 completion, but added missing the deadline would only kill a proportion of the federal grant. A separate $250,000 provincial grant must be used by end of next year. She also said the new contractor, STM Construction, may need to hire extra people and work extra hours to make up the lost time — which in turn could inflate the project cost. Work on the expansion, which will include kitchen upgrades, new meeting and office space, a courtyard and health room, is about 40 per cent completed, said Cluckie. |
Canterbury Hills land sale possible
(Hamilton Spectator, Matthew Van Dongen, Dec 17 2013) The beloved Canterbury Hills summer camps will continue if the Hamilton Conservation Authority buys up most of the Anglican diocese's land in the Dundas Valley, says a church official. The watershed protection agency is negotiating to buy about 25 hectares of pristine natural lands surrounding the half-century-old camp and nearby conference centre. The move comes as the conservation authority tries to figure out what to do with another former Anglican diocese property, nearby Maplewood Hall, which some vocal residents want razed and returned to nature. HCA executive director Chris Firth-Eagland said he can't discuss land negotiations. But the Niagara Escarpment Commission, which regulates parts of the area, let the cat out of the bag by posting online comments on the proposed sale. If the deal goes through, the church would retain about four hectares of land including the conference centre and several camp buildings. Campsites remaining on transferred land would still be used by the church under a separate agreement. Canterbury Hills executive director Paddy Doran also said he couldn't discuss potential land transactions — but he emphasized any sale "would in no way impede our use of the property." .... The sale would add about 25 hectares to what is already Hamilton's largest publicly protected natural area. The Dundas Valley Conservation Area covers more than 1,200 hectares of Carolinian forest and contains a variety of rare plants and animals. Past efforts to introduce new development or even schools to the protected valley have met with fierce community opposition. The conservation authority board is already grappling with resident opposition to a pitch to use dilapidated Maplewood Hall as a Montessori school. |
Heritage-themed boutique hotel coming to Ancaster’s Wilson Street
(Hamilton Spectator, Meredith Macleod, Dec 20 2013) The two partners behind plans for a new boutique hotel in a historic stone building in Ancaster hope to host their first guests in spring 2015. The site is believed to have once been a barracks for soldiers during the War of 1812. There are reports army uniforms were found within the walls, but there is no definitive proof soldiers slept there. Nonetheless, owners Robert Wilkins and Bill Walker plan to call their 19-suite hotel the Barracks Inn. "I just love old," said Wilkins. "Modern doesn't appeal to me like old does. To fix something up gives me great pleasure." The oldest parts of the building date back to 1800, and there were two additions over the years, says Wilkins. But much of that structure, then serving as a drug store, was lost to a fire in 1868. According to Ancaster history books, the present building was reconstructed from the ruins. Over the years, the stone was stuccoed over and different parts of the building have served as apartments, a car dealership, a body shop and a tool-and-die operation. Around 1940, a central section coming out to the road burned down. When work crews started an excavation for the hotel, they discovered mounds of buried rubble from that fire. It's all been cleaned and will be reused and a cornerstone from 1851 has already been remounted. Wilkins and Walker have exposed a massive stone wall in what will be the lobby, and will build a one-and-a-half storey addition on top of a concrete block building that was attached to the rear of the structure sometime around 1960. They decline to say how much they will invest in the project, beyond that it will be "significant." The partners have secured a minor variance to allow for a hotel and have three building permits in hand, including one for a large porch running the length of the second floor and extending out over a central entrance. Wilkins says that porch is inspired by the one on the Newton Inn at Jerseyville Road and Wilson Street, which burned down. When Ancaster was a thriving village in the 1820s to the 1860s — the biggest in Ontario in fact — there were plenty of hotels to lay a weary head. But the Barracks Inn will be the only one in Ancaster now. Wilkins figures there will be plenty of business from weddings at the Ancaster Mill and local golf courses, people trekking along the Bruce Trail and those looking for something quieter and quainter than a towering hotel downtown. The hotel will have an on-site bakery but no restaurant. The partners, who own numerous properties along Wilson, want to see patrons head out for meals. Councillor Lloyd Ferguson said he is excited by the prospect of a hotel and a bakery and that they will play a crucial role in the goal of making Ancaster into a retail destination area. "This is something that is desperately needed in Ancaster," he said. "These guys have demonstrated to us by their restorations of many buildings that they are not only big supporters of heritage but big advocates of it." Read it in full here. |
Is this the one that has been under construction for about a year now? beside the convent?
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Ancaster industrial park looks to expand
(Hamilton Spectator, Meredith MacLeod, Dec 31 2013) Ancaster's business park is heading into its next chapter. The 230-hectare park on Wilson Street between Shaver and Trinity roads is all but completely developed. The city owns no more land in the park. "That park has been an overwhelming success," said Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson. A landowner east of the existing park is anxious to develop for more industrial and commercial uses but a farmer in between is not interested in selling, says Ferguson. So the city has purchased property to the west of the park and will extend Cormorant Drive out to Trinity Road to give another access to the park. "That will make a big difference there. There's a safety issue right now in having only one entrance. The traffic really backs up along Wilson in the morning with employees turning in," said Ferguson. Guy Paparella, the city's director of growth management, says there is always strong demand for space in Ancaster's park. "It has a highly strong mix of uses in there. Proximity to the 403 and the link to the airport have been strong factors there." Read it in full here. |
Conceptual plan cuts Hermitage ruins down to size
(Ancaster News, Richard Leitner, Mar 20 2014) A Hamilton Conservation Authority “conceptual plan” to stabilize Ancaster’s Hermitage ruins will keep the former stone mansion’s distinctive arched entranceway but knock down the rest to no more than about chest height. Tony Horvat, director of land management, said the authority has been working with a heritage consultant on how to bring the crumbling ruins, including separate nursery and laundry outbuildings, to a safe level. Authority directors voted last July to authorize staff to seek the necessary city and Niagara Escarpment Commission approvals to lower the remnants of the mansion, built in 1855 and destroyed by fire in 1934. Acquired by the authority in 1972, the ruins are presently fenced to keep visitors out because their walls, which rise to a height of about 11 metres (35 feet), lean precariously in spots, requiring bracing to stop them from toppling over. “You won’t see them more than four feet, other than around that arched doorway, because the bigger issue becomes kids climbing it and falling off,” Horvat told the authority’s conservation advisory board, which unanimously backed plan. “Right now, it’s shown as kind of one height. The final design may vary somewhat based on how bad the wall foundations are in places and how the costs are,” he said. “We’re trying to keep the desirable elements and spend the money on the archway and certain other features, versus every section of wall.” Horvat said the project is scheduled to be completed over two years and will cost an estimated $144,000 to $194,000. Read it in full here |
why don't we just tear it down and put a picture of it on a tree nearby, it's safer that way
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haha - sometimes i can't contain myself
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Money finally runs out on ‘semi-interesting’ Hermitage ruins
(Ancaster News, Richard Leitner, Apr 10 2014) Already leaning so precariously they’re fenced off from the public, Ancaster’s Hermitage ruins appear destined to come tumbling down one way or another. Hamilton Conservation Authority directors last week gave staff the go-ahead to seek a city heritage permit to lower the remnants of the stone mansion to a safe height, but only after making it clear they want to spend as little money as possible. Vice-chair Jim Howlett said he doesn’t want to see the Sulphur Springs Road ruins “sponge from this generation anymore” because they are of little real historical significance despite their colourful past. Built in 1855 as a summer home and hobby farm by George Leith, a wealthy Scottish immigrant, the Hermitage was later owned by his eccentric daughter, Alma, who let barnyard animals wander inside the mansion. After it was destroyed by fire in 1934, she lived in a one-room cabin built inside the ruins’ walls until her death in 1942. The authority acquired the site 30 years later and successfully applied to have it designated as a heritage property in 1990. “It’s sort of got a history of soaking up other people’s money,” Howlett said, calling the original cost of construction “a small fortune” in its day. “The world got nothing out of it other than a fire and a semi-interesting tourist stop.” Tony Horvat, director of land management, said a plan to be submitted to the city’s heritage permit review committee will preserve the ruins’ distinctive arched entranceway but reduce other sections to a height of 1.2 metres or less. The plan also calls for the removal of 350 cubic metres of earth to lower the property’s grade by half a metre and “air out” the underground brick foundation, damaged from freezing and thawing because it’s often saturated with groundwater. Estimated at $144,000 to $194,000, the project is scheduled to begin in early August if the necessary city and Niagara Escarpment Commission approvals are in hand. Read it in full here. |
I'm wondering if the people of Ancaster don't appreciate it too much, or if it's just a fringe opinion. I've been there before and I enjoyed it.
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I grew up playing and riding bikes in the HCA and still stop at the ruins on each ride (rest point), but the ruins have no real value other than the fact that a mansion once stood there and it burned down, and the cause of a possible haunted ruins. It is an eyesore and my kids don't really understand what the big deal is...given the fencing, long grass etc. I would far more enjoy being able to stop on a bike ride and sit along a stone wall for a few minutes. Tear it down to the safe level, and give people who really want a 'piece' the option to buy some of the stone from the site (presumably going towards the cost of the fix).
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New commercial corridor
(Ancaster News, Kevin Werner, Apr 23 2014) The west end of Wilson Street is quickly becoming a commercial corridor. Members of the planning committee approved at their April 14 meeting a 23,300-square-metre commercial development that will include a Lowe’s store on eight hectares of land at 1125, 1143 and 1185 Wilson St. W. “This will be an exciting project on the west end of Ancaster,” said Sergio Manchia, of the IBI group, representing Trinity Development Group Inc., which owns the property. A commercial needs and impact assessment, prepared by urbanMetrics Inc., recommended more commercial and retail space could be accommodated within the area. The project was the subject of a controversial Ontario Municipal Board decision in 2012 that scaled back the size of the development and limited the permitted uses. As an arterial commercial development, the Trinity project couldn’t include department stores, a large food store, residential buildings or retailers selling primarily apparel, housewares, electronics, sporting goods or general merchandise. Ancaster councillor Lloyd Ferguson, who has supported the project, said it completes the west end of Ancaster. He said the plan had to be modified to accommodate the OMB decision. An amendment to the recommendation, presented by Ferguson, also restricts permitted in the plaza. Ferguson said construction could begin this fall. It’s expected the plaza will generate about $1.5 million in new non-residential tax revenue for the city.... As part of the new commercial centre, a new roundabout is being proposed at McClure Road and Wilson St. W. A traffic study will also be done to further examine the McClure Road extension and Portia Road, which bisects the property. Ferguson said a new gateway feature will be constructed at the roundabout to welcome people entering Ancaster. Read it in full here |
Actlabs prepares for growth in new $20m headquarters
(Hamilton Spectator, Lisa Marr, Apr 23 2014) For a business based on micro-particles, Actlabs is pretty big. On Wednesday, the company opened its global headquarters, providing dizzying tours of its sweeping 200,000-square-foot, $20-million highly automated facility. Its Bittern Street building houses the labs that were previously in a set of five buildings nearby in the Ancaster Industrial Park the company had outgrown. Eric Hoffman, president, said two of those buildings have been sold and the rest would be sold in the coming months. Actlabs now has more than 1,000 employees worldwide with about 200 in Ancaster. Hoffman said the new headquarters was built extra big to accommodate another 100 to 200 local employees within the next five years. That growth would make it one of the largest private employers in Hamilton. Not bad for a business that started in a Brantford incubator in 1987 as a way for Hoffman to try to do something with the ideas he explored in his PhD dissertation on neutron activation — hence the term Activation Labs, or Actlabs as it's commonly known. Hoffman moved to the Hamilton area so he could be near McMaster's nuclear reactor — the only university in the country with a research reactor. But Actlabs does much more now — everything from forensic work examining ash particles from fires to determine what accelerant triggered a blaze to being able to determine the amount of gold in a water mixture in parts per quadrillion. The company now analyzes a wide variety of geological materials, often using its own technologies or processes. About 30 per cent of its work is still for precious metals mining companies. Actlabs also offers analysis for academic research, exploration, environmental baseline studies for many industries: minerals, petroleum, forensics, life sciences (including pharmaceuticals), environmental and occupational health, agricultural and materials testing. Read it in full here. |
Hermitage ruins remake ‘too pristine,’ authority told
(Ancaster News, Ricchard Leitner, May 1 2014) They’re ruins and should look like it. That’s the advice the Hamilton Conservation Authority is being given as it seeks a heritage permit to lower the crumbling walls of Ancaster’s Hermitage ruins. Wilfred Arndt, a member of the city’s heritage permit review subcommittee, told authority officials last week their proposal to cap the lowered walls will make the remnants of the 19th century fire-destroyed stone mansion too symmetrical. The plan would preserve the Sulphur Springs Road ruins’ distinctive arched entranceway but cut other sections to a height of 1.2 metres or less — down from about 11 metres. “I’m in agreement that we need to do something to bring it to a safe level,” Arndt said. “The only thing that I find so offensive is it looks too pristine. It doesn’t look like a wall that was anything else other than nicely capped.” Committee chair Michael Adkins also found the end result — or at least an artist’s rendering of it — resembles “the Hermitage repaired,” comparing it to Mayan ruins he’s visited. “If you go to Belize, you can go on the ruins and you take your life in your hands if you climb on, or if you go to Guatemala and go toTikal. I’ve been to both. They’re exciting because they’re ruins,” he said. “They’re trying to stabilize them, but they’re not Disneyfied and repaired too much.” Read it in full here. |
No tender required on rebuild of Ancaster’s Hermitage ruins
(Ancaster News, Richard Leitner, Jan 22 2015) The stone mason whose company has just been awarded a $460,000 contract to restore Ancaster’s crumbling Hermitage ruins says he’s optimistic the work can be completed by the end of this year. Matt Kuhlmann said while he must first finish the restoration of the historic Barracks building on Wilson Street East, he is aiming to begin the project early this summer. The Sulphur Springs Road ruins’ three main walls will first be dismantled stone by stone, with each marked to ensure it is put back in its original place, to allow for construction of a new foundation, he said. It will then take about four months to rebuild the remnants of the 160-year-old, fire-destroyed mansion, a process that will include internal steel bracing to ensure the walls are secure for at least another century, he said. Kuhlmann said Quinn Dressel Associates, a Toronto structural engineering firm that specializes in heritage projects, has reviewed the plan and found it sound. The lone change it recommended was to use galvanized, rather than regular, steel for the bracing, he said. “(It’s) an additional expense, but we’re happy to do that,” Kuhlmann said. Hamilton Conservation Authority directors voted unanimously without discussion on Jan. 15 to award the restoration contract to Kuhlmann’s Rock Solid Natural Stone Masons Ltd., agreeing with a staff report recommending the project not be tendered. The staff report said sole-sourcing contracts isn’t normally ideal, but in this case reflects that Rock Solid’s bid is well below initial estimates of $600,000 to $1 million for the work. The bid has also generated $100,000 in private donations “that would not be available to other bidders in a formal process,” it stated. Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson, who sits on the authority board and has championed the plan, said he wasn’t surprised by the lack of debate on awarding the contract. “How could you discuss something that’s perfect?” he said. “It’s been saved and it’s good now for 100 years once (Kuhlmann’s) done with it.” The city and authority are each contributing $200,000 to the rebuild, with private donations and fundraising by the authority’s charity, the Hamilton Conservation Foundation, expected to add another $200,000. The solution will apparently mean that the Hermitage ruins stand safely without external bracing, and need not be fenced off from the public. Read it in full here |
Thanks for posting this interesting article. But the link provided points to the Dundas Conservation Area story.
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Weird. Fixed.
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I have mixed feelings about the Hermitage plan.
I'm glad that the original Conservation Authority plan to reduce the height of the walls until they were about 4 feet high was rejected. But the new plan to dismantle the ruin stone by stone, build a foundation, and then put it all back together again with new mortar and bracing seems odd to me. A building 'in ruin' is normally expected to decay over time and fall down at some point. The claim that the Hermitage is being saved doesn't make sense when the process involves the complete demolition of the walls. This reminds me of LIUNA's campaign to convince people that the best way to save the Lister Block was to demolish it and build an exact replica. |
I think the major difference here is that Lister was a building to be occupied and used as a modern facility. I am sure a replica of the original would have been significantly cheaper, but we would have lost the heritage aspect.
The Hermitage ruins are indeed 'ruins' and have been like that for over 80 years. We never had the benefit to know what the hermitage was like as an estate and hence the ruins are what makes it more mysterious and an attraction in the first place. I grew up without any fencing or bracing around the ruins, but my kids cannot, nor do they get an appreciation of being able to climb in and out of the ruins. This plan changes that, and will ensure we can pass down great traditions, while remaining a destination for locals. |
Mortar aside, Ancaster's Hermitage rebuild on track
(Ancaster News, Richard Leitner, Dec 2 2015) The contractor restoring the main three walls of Ancaster’s Hermitage ruins says all the stone blocks should be back in their original place and capped by Christmas. Matt Kuhlmann of Rock Solid Natural Stone Masons Ltd. said work will then turn to sealing the joints with mortar in January, weather permitting. His Ancaster firm began dismantling the 160-year-old remnants of the fire destroyed mansion in July, a painstaking process that mapped and numbered each stone, after being awarded the $460,000 untendered contract for the job. Only the front and side walls are being rebuilt — on top of a new foundation with internal steel bracing to keep the stones in place — but Rock Solid is also restoring a missing section over the distinctive arched entrance. Kuhlmann said the section has been the biggest challenge to date because he’s had to rely on a blowup of an old photograph taken before it collapsed. “We’re trying to match all of the original stone arrangements,” he said. “We’re close. We’re not 100 per cent on getting every rock the exact size, but it’s going to be good.” The weather has been cooperative so far, but Kuhlmann said he expected to tarp and heat the east wall this week and then do the same for sections of wall as they’re pointed with mortar. “If we can finish all the pointing in January we will, and if not, we’ll do it in the springtime, but either way early springtime we’ll be cleaning up the site,” he said. Read it in full here. |
Hermitage stands rock solid again
(Ancaster News, Richard Leitner, Jan 21 2016) Before Matt Kuhlmann and his crew began restoring the Hermitage ruins back in July, portions of the walls leaned so precariously they seemed ready to topple over at any moment. Six months later, after being dismantled and rebuilt stone by stone, the remnants of the 160-year-old stone mansion look so sturdy and square it’s hard to imagine anything less than an earthquake knocking them down. Internal steel braces secure the three main walls in place and the front now once again includes a section over the distinctive arched entrance that collapsed decades ago. While Kuhlmann points out one spot that isn’t as exact as he’d like, it’s lost on a reporter’s untrained eye. Overall, he said he and his co-workers from Rock Solid Natural Stone Masons are proud of the results and grateful for the chance to give Ancaster back a part of its heritage. “I think it will be glorious for quite some time,” Kuhlmann said on Monday as they cleaned up the Sulphur Springs Road jobsite, pausing work on some minor finishing touches for the rest of the winter. “It’s not perfect, but it’s close,” he said. “It’s going to be just beautiful for the community. I can’t wait to come to take my kids for a picnic.” His Ancaster-based firm, which has also restored The Barracks on Wilson Street, was awarded the $460,000 untendered Hermitage contract last January after the authority scrapped initial plans to lower most of the main walls to about chest height. Kuhlmann said rebuilding the missing front-wall section was the biggest challenge because he had to rely on photos from the 1970s. “Getting everything to fit the way it was, was the most difficult part, definitely,” he said. “It just really completes it.” Read it in full here. |
Lowe's Ancaster Store is now open
GRAND OPENING EVENTS: THURSDAY, JAN. 28, 2016 TO SUNDAY, JAN. 31, 2016 |
Could also be filed under the “Ancaster's 'unique' community under attack” thread .
Ancaster Shaver home falls to the wreckers' ball (Ancaster News, Kevin Werner, Jan 28 2016) One of Ancaster’s historic buildings has been demolished to accommodate a big box commercial plaza. The two-storey Shaver house, an L-shaped red-brick building with a single storey rear addition representative of Gothic Revival architecture, built in 1862-63 and located at 1143 Wilson St. W., was torn to the ground by backhoes last week. The building had been originally owned by Frederick Shaver. There had been some discussions between the owners of Knollwood Golf Club and the developer, Zackor, about relocating the building to the Book Road property. The city’s heritage committee had reluctantly agreed last summer to relocate the building to the golf course. The committee’s preferred option would have been to reuse the building at the current site. But heritage committee member Ron Sinclair said discussions between the parties recently broke down. “It’s sad,” he said. In a letter to the heritage committee last summer, Conrad Zurini stated the developer could not pursue the option of repurposing the building on Wilson Street. Read it in full here. Local real estate developer and default source for stories on the hot, hot, hot, hot property market, Conrad Zurini has previously been identified as Zakcor's project manager. He also may or may not be related to the Zurini connected to the property in earlier documents: the all-but-invisible Zakcor Inc. is located at the same address as RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc. Brokerage, which he co-owns. |
Ancaster Society for Performing Arts launches naming program for Memorial Arts Centre
(Ancaster News, Kevin Werner, Feb 4 2016) You can have your name up in lights. Or at the very least, on the side of a wall, or above an entrance way. The Ancaster Society for Performing Arts, which is coordinating the building of the estimated $12-million Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre, has been notifying its members and the general public about an opportunity to name parts of the centre. About 10 people turned out Jan. 27 at the Old Town Hall to hear the arts organization’s pitch to raise money to renovate the former Memorial School at 357 Wilson St. Officials said for a certain donation a person or business can have the studio, lobby or even the entire 450-seat theatre named after them. Ancaster councillor Lloyd Ferguson said it “wasn’t a big turnout,” but it’s part of a process to promote the arts centre and get the community thinking about fundraising. Ferguson has already talked to new Liberal MPs Bob Bratina and Filomena Tassi about possible federal funding for the facility. The idea, said Ferguson, is to divide the funding among all three levels of government, similar to the manner in which renovations to the Ancaster Senior Achievement Centre facility were funded. Ferguson has said asking for the municipal share of the funding from council would be a difficult task. A community fundraising campaign has been underway since last year, overseen by local businessman Bob Wilkins. Ferguson said he didn’t want to reveal how much has been raised so far since it is too early in the campaign. Preliminary costs to transform the building are $6.93 million, while renovating the remaining school facility – after demolishing half the structure – is estimated to be about $5.2 million. Other expenses include $300,000 for asbestos abatement. Read it in full here. |
Anyone have details on the Target store redevelopment. See Riocan has remove front brickwork. Also heavy ground work going on on Old Golf Links Road (site of a previous hotel proposal). No signs posted on either site.
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http://dynamicmedia.zuza.com/zz/m/re...___Gallery.jpg
Meadowlands Conservation Area trail treads cautiously (Ancaster News, Richard Leitner, Mar 24 2016) The Hamilton Conservation Authority expects to begin work this year on the second phase of a formal trail through the Meadowlands Conservation Area – one that is a compromise with neighbours who didn’t want one. Sandy Bell, manager of design and development, said he’s in the process of getting approvals to extend the initial stretch of trail through a Hydro One corridor to link up with Stonehenge Drive. Work to date has nearly finished upgrading an informal trail from Harrogate Drive that runs through a marshy area to Tiffany Creek and placed a bridge over the waterway, he said. Once the second stage is completed, the final phase will take the trail down the hydro property to the southern edge of the conservation area, roughly parallel to the corner of Raymond Road and Chambers Drive. The $110,000 project is a scaled-back version of an initial plan in 2011 to create secondary trail loops by the wooded area at the southern end, one that met stiff opposition from neighbours who argued it would invade their privacy. One of the original plan’s goals was to discourage people – including those from more than 500 new homes to the south that were only in the planning stage back then – from creating their own makeshift trails. The main and loop trails were also designed to try to keep them away from the environmentally sensitive area between DiIorio Circle and Stone Church Road that includes a pristine swamp and woodlot with butternut trees, a species-at-risk in Ontario. Read it in full here. |
I was in a camp for the Redeemer University....and whilst there, I noticed some construction going on right by, this is for a new subdivision:
[IMG]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1867/...f14d528d_c.jpgDSC_8292 by Josh Kenn Photographics, on Flickr[/IMG] Across the street: [IMG]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1847/...eebfa5d2_c.jpgDSC_8282 by Josh Kenn Photographics, on Flickr[/IMG] [IMG]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1853/...dd72804d_c.jpgDSC_8285 by Josh Kenn Photographics, on Flickr[/IMG] |
just what we need... more sprawl.
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I understand the Starbucks on Wilson will be closing at the end of the year.
Leads to wonder if that strip mall is being redeveloped. |
And then there's Maude!:
Preserve Ancaster’s uniqueness Re: Proposed development at Wilson and Academy streets in Ancaster Ancaster is Ontario's best kept secret. We are the best that Hamilton has to offer. Stop trying to change it. Local developers should be trying to preserve and protect our beautiful community. High-rise, urban development would destroy our historic community. The problem with Sergio Manchia and UrbanCore Developments is that they are trying to make Old Ancaster more urban with higher density. We are not urban, the vision for Ancaster is multi-million dollar estate homes, mixed with single-family properties, mixed with country farmland. High-rise developments should be located in the Meadowlands, where higher density has already been voted on and passed by city council. Mr. Manchia and UrbanCore Developments should focus on developing other communities in the Golden Horseshoe Area and get out of old Ancaster! If big city developers cannot follow the bylaw in Ancaster, then get out! You are going to waste everyone's time and money with yet another legal battle at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (formerly known as the Ontario Municipal Board). Darrell J. Hicks, Ancaster https://www.thespec.com/opinion-stor...to-the-editor/ |
Ancaster Art Centre gets financial backing from City where Province withdrew $3MM.
Link on Twitter from Kevin Werner https://twitter.com/WerkHCN/status/1...098962432?s=19 |
That's great news. The money issues have been handled well, I think (and it was not just the provincial money being pulled, but a much larger than expected cost estimate as well)
Fergie must be all aglow. :) |
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6f10fc71_b.jpg387 409 Hamilton Drive by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...41db95ce_c.jpg401 Hamilton Drive by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...eabfe8b1_c.jpg405 Hamilton Drive1 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...84e9b00b_c.jpg405 Hamilton Drive2 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr I didn't know where to put this, but I've been stumped with this project. I walk by here not infrequently. Checked the Hamilton development map, and they show 19 units. Submitted in Sept 2018. The properties have been decrepit now for a long time, and high schoolers entering the abandoned homes keep trashing them evermore. Anyway, does anybody know more about this development? |
2 photos of 140 Wilson Street West, Ancaster. This has been like this for a long time.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...52245092_b.jpg140WilsonStWest2 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8e0a4ca6_b.jpg140WilsonStWest1 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr |
Aha. I learned how to read... So here is part of the development application:
Development Application: 25T-201809 File Number 25T-201809 Application Type Subdivision Address 387-409 HAMILTON DR File Year 2018 Description To extend Braithwaite Ave westerly to Hamilton Drive in order to permit 19 single detached residential lots and a stormwater management pond. Proposed Total Residential Units 19 AND Development Application: ZAC-18-048 File Number ZAC-18-048 Application Type Zoning Amendment Address 387-409 HAMILTON DR File Year 2018 Description To change the zoning in order to permit the developement of a residential plan of subdivision for 19 single detached dwellings. Proposed Total Residential Units 19 More than likely this is going to be more meh. |
AND for 140 Wilson St. West
Development Application: ZAC-20-024 File Number ZAC-20-024 Application Type Zoning Amendment Address 140 WILSON ST W File Year 2020 Description To change the zoning from the Existing Residential ER Zone to the Residential Multiple RM6-XX Zone, Modified in order to permit development of a three-storey multiple dwelling containing nine dwelling units, fronting on Wilson Street - Zenia Homes Proposed Total Residential Units 9 I know this is older stuff but here it is, I posted the photo of the site. |
Those who have driven on (387-409) Hamilton Drive lately will have noticed that the houses have finally been razed. At least the eyesores are no more.
Frankly, the proposal as such - to change Beecroft from a cul de sac to a through street I think is a good thing, but more SFH's in the area is just blah in an already blah area. Especially if they take down all those mature trees in the process. |
Belleville development locate at 179-187 Wilson Street West. Note that school children will not be able to attent the newly constructed Spring Valley elementary school, which is within walking distance.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...43a10bf0_b.jpgBelleville 1 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d5409928_b.jpgBelleville3 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b91ea063_b.jpgBelleville2 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...13c684fe_b.jpgBelleville4 by Pulkvedis Pods, on Flickr[/ |
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