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.