11 Robert Street| 6 fl | Under Construction
 

New 6 storey mixed use development going in front of the Design Review Panel. Rendering is in the latest edition of Novae Res Urbis. This will have 28 units and about 3,000sf of retail, and replaces what is currently a single storey commercial building just off of James North. Developer is "Yoke Group".

https://i.imgur.com/3N0Ulj6.png

I like this kind of density set right behind the James N streetwall. The design leaves much to be desired though...

Has Yoke Group ever completed a project like this before?

I'd like to see a better render, but I like this a lot. It's hidden tucked behind James Street while keeping commercial opportunity on the first floor, and it respects the neighbouring josie's by not being extremely over bearing. I'd like to see a lot more of this.

Yoke Group? I wouldn't expect this one to ever happen. Their track record as a property manager isn't that great as it is.

All this proposed density being tucked just behind James St is great for all the businesses!

Yes please. We need lots of this stuff. I like the looks of this. Keep em coming! They won't all get built but some of these proposals will. Eventually.

Yeah I've heard some things about Yoke although not lately

Dear GOD that's a horrible render.. and a bit of a lackluster design..

then again we all know never to trust the original render.. or hell even the FINAL render..

more images from DRP

https://i.imgur.com/wTq3hKE.png

https://i.imgur.com/9sTl232.png

https://i.imgur.com/Lm30IML.png

Do they have the slideshows online somewhere or do you have to request them from the clerk?

If people threw beige clay mud balls at this building no one would ever notice since they would blend in quite nicely.

Haha these are screen grabs from the meeting video, now posted on youtube

It appears there's no windows facing James St... just one big brick wall

Yeah, the west-facing wall isn't great. If they are unable or unwilling to have any apertures in it, perhaps an artist could use it as a canvas...

Or itll have some random grafitti - have you seen the gore building? Some asshole grafittied the top of it where it says "the gore" - can't even make out whey they scrawled but it's in green spraypaint - horrible.

it says "kill- something" - that was the only word I could make out.

Perhaps there's something about to happen on/above the properties to the west, where Born and Raised and other businesses are? Hence the blank wall.

One thing I have noticed is that the taggers tend to avoid tagging murals or murals that are professionally grafittied like you'd see in the bg of an old cheesy 80s rap video.. sonic onion had some great ones on the side.

The murals on the hoarding at the old bingo hall location are just stunning. I hope they keep that hoarding after as an art display - it's really awesomely done. Best I've seen done in the city. They'd do well to do something similar on these blank walls - get in there before someone decides to cheapen it with their own "art".

What's the word on this project? Wasn't it approved by the city in March?

It is now at the LPAT, awaiting assignment to a case coordinator.

Does Hamilton force more developments to LPAT than any other jurisdiction? Its unbelievable how council is determined to stifle progress in this town.

Truthfully, it seems to be staff. It's a vicious cycle though. Staff recommend what they think council wants, remembering that council is a regressive, sometimes idiotic bunch, and so staff don't recommend things that actually make sense.

This is not a city-initiated appeal.

I've seen little to indicate professional planning staff are basing their recommendations upon political considerations. In fact, they are often differing from the ward feudal lord in their recommendations.

As for number of LPAT files from the municipality of Hamilton, there are many in which the ward feudal lord votes down a project that meets the requirements of the Planning Act, and it ends up at LPAT for approval. Not unusual in other municipalities.

This development is honestly perfect for the area. Not very tall, architecturally appealing. All they needed to do was recommend changing the look of the west facing facade, possibly add windows or curtain wall. Why don't they just work with these developers instead of simply rejecting them. I understand that is the purpose of the DRP, but if city staff aren't willing to work with the developer than what's the point?

It's definitely our mediocre staff. Far too many promising staff leave Hamilton for greener pastures, leaving the chaff behind.

And who can blame them? Working under the council that they do.

It is more often the councillor, not staff.

An example would be the 9 storey building at James and Burlington - full staff support, reports recommending approval, but the councillor didn't want to upset voters in the co-op to the north, so Farr votes against, sending the project to the LPAT where it was obviously approved. Farr gets to shift blame to another party while saving face. Its a tactic used a lot in Toronto too. It's why despite what folks will say, the OMB/LPAT is a necessary force because ultimately local councils just don't feel like adhering to the planning act

1000x this. Hamilton Clrs will vote against or make a big fuss about things they know that people in their riding wont like but also know is just going to get passed anyways. A huge waste of time and money.

This development is bananas. Zero parking and using 100% of the lot, for a development on a minor side street off James N. This was not what the downtown secondary plan envisioned when zero parking was allowed. Not 28 units. And definitely not on a side street.

I think it's great. There aren't 28 on street parking spots in the area, so that means purchasers or renters here won't have cars. Furthermore, I live in the area, and the thing about free street parking is that it's just that, free. I had no expectation of finding a spot after a grocery shop home, and regularly didn't and had to park far from my house. It's a reality of living in a city, and not every new unit in the city should have parking.

Add to this the housing crisis where housing unaffordability is making it hard to buy or rent anything, and guess what one of the most expensive parts of a building is? Parking. At $80,000-$100,000 per underground parking spot, it can take up 20% - 30% the cost of a new unit. Many don't have cars, either by choice or necessity. We shouldn't force every new development to have parking. There are loads of units being built in the city with loads of parking, they can buy there if they need a car.

Hamilton is one of the few places in this province where living car free is actually fairly easy - especially once the LRT opens and we see improved GO service.

Hamilton isn't like Toronto, but I knew many people that survived without a car living here for years. Many still do not have a car, many others have moved away to somewhere slightly more suburban and bought a car. We used to have two cars, but found the cost to not be worth it and got rid of one. Plan to sign up for car share in the case we need a second car, but 99% of the time we can survive with a single one and the area is super walkable, so we barely use it. I want to get rid of it, but my partner wants to keep it because she has the fear many car owners have living downtown, around "what about if this happens" where most people without cars can figure it out.

James St area specifically is incredibly walkable. There is a pharmacy, grocer, LCBO, dentist and doctor all within reasonable walking distance. I wouldn't really call this a side street considering it's a single property off the main commercial strip. It's got 5 bars within 5 minute walk and like 15 restaurants.

Yes, and agreed. Two years ago, I sold my house on Augusta just East of John St., we lost out almost $75,000 just because there was no drive way, and only street permit parking which then was like $100 / yearly I believe. So, even with a single home, parking is a very valuable piece. Though being downtown, and next to the GO station literally, I mean the walk score was 98 and so many amenities within walking distance, including many HSR routes of all kinds, in all directions. Prime area, and this area not really that much different it seems.

I'm surprised by that. The modern downtown Hamilton market does not seem to care about parking spaces. We're at Bay and Barton and our house was more than similar houses with driveways. Our house wasn't the exception either. Seems people are really coming around to not having a car in Hamilton. I even knew some people that lived around St Clair without a car.

Never owned a car (never even acquired a G2) and as an adult lived in downtown Toronto, Calgary, Toronto (again) and Hamilton (Stinson). Perhaps I've long been ahead of the curve, but I never cared about driving since I was a teenager.

At this point in the lower city, driveways aren't going to inhibit a purchase of a house. It's no different than Toronto and street parking. Prioritizing locale and public transit proximity is key, sure, but with the rise of the sharing economy, and until cars are fully EV infrastructure supported, I won't purchase a car, waste of money (would have held me back even more to purchase a house)

/end old man rant

Just a reminder that this development is going before the land tribunal this morning at 10AM.

Apparently the hearing will continue on October 27.

https://www.omb.gov.on.ca/ecs/CaseDe...spx?n=PL210275

How much do we want to bet this goes for sale as soon as it's approved or denied?

Why would it go for sale if it's approved?

The developer here is Yoke Group I thought? They have built stuff before so I suspect they’ll at least try to build it..

Yoke hasn't built much. They seem mostly like a zoning change and sell flipper. This complete lack of an attempt to propose something appealing seems exactly like that. I get the feeling this is planning flip, similar to what happened at Rebecca and John.

a small 28-unit, 6-storey midrise is also a lot different than a 30 storey skyscraper like Rebecca and John. We'll see I guess.

Yes and no. They may have just seen it and thought it would be an easy turnaround for some quick cash. It doesn't look like they threw too much resources at it.

an OLT appeal from a neighbour of the CoA's approval has been denied. This is now approved.

https://www.thepublicrecord.ca/2022/...hbours-appeal/

Good news. Should be a great little development that will support the businesses on James. The next few years are going to be quite busy in this area for construction. I'm excited for this one and 16 Canon. Both small-ish that will add some much needed infill.

I'm very excited for this development. It's the start of parking spot free developments in the city which will show it is possible, and it's also the start of modest infill in established neighbourhoods to a degree. It shows that 6 storeys is reasonable next to 3 storeys homes, which it very much is.

I really hope this one gets built, and I hope it doesn't look like garbage.

https://i.imgur.com/LVfLrERh.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/piuUGfRh.jpeg

Huge improvement :cheers: the mural is a nice touch and suits the James St. N atmosphere well

Agreed. I'm really glad how this design turned out. Of course it could be ruined by execution, but hopefully the lack of parking makes this project far more easy to pull off with decent materials. This is truly a precedent setting project. It means future buildings of similar design can argue for reduced or no parking in future.

This looks fantastic. I'd hope they decorate the other blank vertical parts between the windows and balconies too.

The mural is so James St N. it hurts lol. Looks great. Can't wait for construction to start. Wonder when that may be.