[HAMRetrofit]

I think there is some confusion in Hamilton about the possibilities of its brownfields. These vacant lots on the industrial lake front are somewhat problematic from a development standpoint.

First, I don't see this limitless land that people in Hamilton have their hopes as providing future warehousing and manufacturing land. I am not convinced that attempting to shoe horn shiny industrial complexes into this area is necessarily the right solution. It may be for some sites related to the port, but they will not likely be able to compete at the regional level.

The problems here are extremely complex. Soils are interlaced with harmful chemicals, awkwardly shaped, or dispersed too thinly over large areas. The clean up processes take years to complete, companies typically don't have the patience and will move on. The lands are held by land speculators and industrial corporations that don't have local interests in mind, more so they own them control the market and to reduce competition. This is massive capital that can't easily be bought out or reasoned with. In today's world of fast paced delivery methods and just in time services this is less than ideal. Many of the sites can hardly handle the space needed to fit a single warehouse. I think that a number of these sites including the ones on Victoria street offer different possibilities like park space, something that is lacking in large quantity in that area of town. I think a more intelligent solution is needed than to simply force incompatible uses onto this area of town.

In the end the downtown will be supported more by intelligent development instead of an attempt to repeat business as usual. I think it is relevant to look at the changes of Chicago, Vancouver, and Toronto's waterfronts which historically were in the same condition as Hamilton's is now. All these cities still have thieving downtowns and employment in their cores even though they are now post industrial.