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Building a future in the face of declining employment lands
(Hamilton Spectator, Dec 30 2013)

A closer look at the older, established areas of the city such as Stoney Creek, are key evidence to the mounting concern over the lack of available employment lands.

Hamilton's overall industrial vacancy rate is only 1.3 per cent consisting mainly of former plants now sitting idle in the bayfront industrial area — a decline from 3.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2011.

In the Stoney Creek and East Hamilton areas of the city, for sale signs are few and far between — in the West Hamilton business park, there are just a few parcels available for development around McMaster Innovation Park.

At the Hamilton Technology Centre in the Flamborough Business Park, the vacancy rate has finally increased, due to the sudden "graduation" of several businesses. But Penny Gardiner, who manages the centre, said it won't be long before the incubator will be full gain.

It's a situation that poses a number of problems for the city's economic development team.

Guy Paparella, the director of growth planning, said the approval this year of the airport employment growth district is needed to deal with lack of quality and quantity of land.

The city is supposed to have enough land until 2031, but provincial growth numbers have included an additional 10,000 jobs for Hamilton.

So how to find and retain businesses, and those jobs, in the future?

"We're already behind even with the airport employment growth district. It's just more pressure to increase land area," said Paparella.

Norm Schleehahn, the city's manager of business development, said the city department is restructuring in the new year in order to try to manage the tenants of the park to anticipate the challenges of trying to expand and locate new businesses in the current environment.

"We want to make sure we are making connections with as many employers as possible," he said. "This is part of putting a higher emphasis on corporate outreach, corporate calling program. It's all about retention and expansion."

Schleehahn said even just helping businesses navigate issues around snow removal and bus routes for employees can help an employer feel more connected to the city.

"Businesses need someone to talk to — it's about being proactive versus reactive," he said.