200 Centennial Pkwy N | 70 m | 9+9+13+15+16+20 fl | Approved

[Innsertnamehere]

I saw this in SmartCentre's Q3 2021 investors presentation.. First I've seen anything about SmartCentres redeveloping this property. It doesn't look like it's performing all that well as a retail plaza so it makes sense..

Phase 1 is two buildings with 520 units, the overall master plan is 1,065 units across 7 buildings apparently, with application submission "imminent"

https://www.smartcentres.com/app/upl...6&zoom=100,0,0

[Berklon]

With the exception of Food Basics and maybe Kings Buffet at times - that plaza is pretty dead. JYSK doesn't get busy, and all the other shops are dingy or just small potatoes.

They've been renovating the run-down apartments in that neighborhood the last few years, so it's starting to look better. The new development will definitely improve things greatly here.

That second picture showing "Confederation GO STN" is quite the distance away from where it actually is. I guess no one picked up on the train tracks as a clue.

[Innsertnamehere]

yea good point - they point as if it's out of frame but the GO station is actually right in frame. You would think SmartCentres would know better as they also own the Walmart Plaza right next to the GO station..

Anyways, this is actually a pretty good location as it is walking distance from both the GO station and the LRT, it sort of straddles the two.

I don't want to know what traffic on Centennial will be in a decade or so as more intensification happens along it. It's already atrocious at rush hour with people avoiding the RHVP.

[TheRitsman]

It looks to be a bit drab on the urban design side of things. Could have been the start of masterplans communities on large strip mall lots and instead it looks to be a bit suburban with surface parking and no street grid to speak of. Just looks to be intensification of the property, which is not bad in itself. It's just too bad that this entire area will likely be less of an urban area, and more of a vertical suburb.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by TheRitsman

It looks to be a bit drab on the urban design side of things. Could have been the start of masterplans communities on large strip mall lots and instead it looks to be a bit suburban with surface parking and no street grid to speak of. Just looks to be intensification of the property, which is not bad in itself. It's just too bad that this entire area will likely be less of an urban area, and more of a vertical suburb.

It's just an early massing model, let's wait for a detailed plan to judge fully.

The initial phases will likely be the southern parts of the plaza, preserving Food Basics as a tenant with their parking servicing the store, with the final phases replacing it.

[Berklon]

I assume Food Basics will remain, but I'm not sure why it has the same color tone as the new developments in that second picture instead of keeping the same look as in the first picture. Is that just to indicate that they're going to keep it in place, but renovate it?

[ccheck7]

Great to finally see some residential activity on Centennial!
Hopefully this is the catalyst for some of the larger institutional owners along this stretch finally capitalizing on their holdings. Having spoken to a few of them the City's complex Secondary Plan for Centennial has not spurred development like the City hoped.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by ccheck7

Great to finally see some residential activity on Centennial!
Hopefully this is the catalyst for some of the larger institutional owners along this stretch finally capitalizing on their holdings. Having spoken to a few of them the City's complex Secondary Plan for Centennial has not spurred development like the City hoped.

They're probably making good cash from the smaller retailers, which always seem fairly busy to me.

Anyone know what's up with that large squarish green lot northeast of this, between Lake Ave and the hydro corridor? Seems odd that it's undeveloped, as pretty much every other big lot in the north Stoney Creek industrial area has something on it. Is it contaminated?

[HamiltonBoyInToronto]

How I wish they would do something like this at Eastgate mall where the old Sears is ... that's ripe for development and right on the LRT line

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by HamiltonBoyInToronto

How I wish they would do something like this at Eastgate mall where the old Sears is ... that's ripe for development and right on the LRT line

I was just at Eastgate yesterday out of necessity and I was thinking about this. It looks like they're letting it empty out on purpose. I figured if they were going to split the Sears unit into a new hallway they would have done so already so maybe they're waiting for LRT to redevelop the property.

I'm moderately new to Hamilton so I'd love to know more about Eastgate but history of the mall is hard to find. I'd love to see an old map of the mall compared to today even.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by TheRitsman

I was just at Eastgate yesterday out of necessity and I was thinking about this. It looks like they're letting it empty out on purpose. I figured if they were going to split the Sears unit into a new hallway they would have done so already so maybe they're waiting for LRT to redevelop the property.

I'm moderately new to Hamilton so I'd love to know more about Eastgate but history of the mall is hard to find. I'd love to see an old map of the mall compared to today even.

That seems to be what they're doing with the former Sears at Mapleview. I believe the space at Eastgate has been leased out short term (e.g., I seem to recall a Halloween costume shop) but longer term I imagine the owner's plans hinge on LRT and any re-design of the bus transit terminal.

Eastgate opened in the early 1970s. Apparently, as I was learning to talk, I called it "eats-eats square" I recall it having a rather dark interior space, with brownish "brick" tiles on the floor. The food court used to be connected to the north-south mall section by a perpendicular corridor, and it was cavernous... it had round tables and cylindrical stools of several colours that echoed through the space when scraped across the tiles. There was a second level that housed the public library, and a Consumers Distributing closest to the mall entry roughly where Shoppers is now. There was also an arcade on the first floor under the library. In the 1980s they brightened up the mall, and straightened out that corridor connecting to the food court (which was also totally redone and moved closer to the southeast entry) and made it angle off the other part of the mall. Robinsons was where Sears was and became a Bay store then a Zellers before Sears took over. A 2-level Eatons was at the end where Fortinos sits (which was added in the 80s too), and I think the Bay moved there for a while when Eatons closed up shop before it too closed and the space got renovated/expanded for Fortinos. I recall a different grocery store where Homesense is now; it may have been one of the Loblaws chains. The newest part, the middle wing, was built where there used to be a Walmart (Woolco long before that). The separate LCBO and Beer Store went up in the early 2000s (?) along with Jack Astors.

Eastgate used to be fairly busy, with more name-brand stores. After Lime Ridge, in the 1980s-90s, I preferred it to the Centre Mall.

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Eastgate opened in the early 1970s. Apparently, as I was learning to talk, I called it "eats-eats square" I recall it having a rather dark interior space, with brownish "brick" tiles on the floor. The food court used to be connected to the north-south mall section by a perpendicular corridor, and it was cavernous... it had round tables and cylindrical stools of several colours that echoed through the space when scraped across the tiles. There was a second level that housed the public library, and a Consumers Distributing closest to the mall entry roughly where Shoppers is now. There was also an arcade on the first floor under the library. In the 1980s they brightened up the mall, and straightened out that corridor connecting to the food court (which was also totally redone and moved closer to the southeast entry) and made it angle off the other part of the mall. Robinsons was where Sears was and became a Bay store then a Zellers before Sears took over. A 2-level Eatons was at the end where Fortinos sits (which was added in the 80s too), and I think the Bay moved there for a while when Eatons closed up shop before it too closed and the space got renovated/expanded for Fortinos. I recall a different grocery store where Homesense is now; it may have been one of the Loblaws chains. The newest part, the middle wing, was built where there used to be a Walmart (Woolco long before that). The separate LCBO and Beer Store went up in the early 2000s (?) along with Jack Astors.

Eastgate used to be fairly busy, with more name-brand stores. After Lime Ridge, in the 1980s-90s, I preferred it to the Centre Mall.

Oh the memories. I spent a lot of time at Eastgate in my youth and it was quite busy.
My family used to shop at many stores in there... mostly Robinsons, Eatons and Consumer Distributing. I spent most of my time in food court area because that's where the record store was (Can't remember if it was Sam's or Music World or something else), and also the arcade and the library upstairs. I also remember there being a restaurant next to the library - I never went in though.

Here are a few pictures of the lovely decor back then. And yes, I always remembered it being dark inside.

https://www.facebook.com/VintageHami...36181813066779

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Berklon

Oh the memories. I spent a lot of time at Eastgate in my youth and it was quite busy.
My family used to shop at many stores in there... mostly Robinsons, Eatons and Consumer Distributing. I spent most of my time in food court area because that's where the record store was (Can't remember if it was Sam's or Music World or something else), and also the arcade and the library upstairs. I also remember there being a restaurant next to the library - I never went in though.

Here are a few pictures of the lovely decor back then. And yes, I always remembered it being dark inside.

https://www.facebook.com/VintageHami...36181813066779

Wasn't it a steak house? You're drumming up my memories now! Steak and Burger maybe??? And I now remember the music store too but can't recall which... I bought a 45 of Devo's Whip It there, and possibly a Styx album (Killroy Was Here) though that may have been downtown from Cheapies lol

[Crapht]

I feel like it was Sunrise Records.

[atnor]

Wasn’t the restaurant where shoppers currently is called Roxys back in the 90s? I remember the arcade was called The Games and where the travel agency is was a trading card store..can’t remember the name but I used to buy hockey cards there.

Also, do you guys remember Queenston Mall? In particular Crazy Lee’s, Toby’s Toy Store, Bi-Way, and Miracle Mart? I remember there was a cafe that always smelled like fried onions which was near the Canadian Tire. I also remember they used to set up bouncy castles in the parking lot occasionally, I vaguely remember a Super Mario bouncy castle.

Those days are long gone, I have good memories of first going to Queenston Mall then Eastgate with my mom. I was at Kitchen Stuff Plus before Christmas and couldn’t help but remember how busy Eastgate used to be around Christmas.

Also, fwiw, I heard LA Fitness will take over the space formerly occupied by Sears and The Bay.

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by atnor

Also, do you guys remember Queenston Mall? In particular Crazy Lee’s, Toby’s Toy Store, Bi-Way, and Miracle Mart? I remember there was a cafe that always smelled like fried onions which was near the Canadian Tire. I also remember they used to set up bouncy castles in the parking lot occasionally, I vaguely remember a Super Mario bouncy castle.

I definitely remember Queenston Mall... used to go there a lot as it was a 10 minute walk from my place.
There was also a video rental store there and a small record shop that would actually sell concert tickets.

In the summer they'd always have carnival/amusement park set up for a couple weeks in the parking lot.

[atnor]

Originally Posted by Berklon

I definitely remember Queenston Mall... used to go there a lot as it was a 10 minute walk from my place.
There was also a video rental store there and a small record shop that would actually sell concert tickets.

In the summer they'd always have carnival/amusement park set up for a couple weeks in the parking lot.

Good memories

[The Gore]

Was it built as an Earls or Earls Tin Palace?

[ScreamingViking]

Was Earl's even around back then?

I only remember as far back as St. Hubert's. I thought the Pizza Hut was in the same plaza but closer to Barton, housed in one of those "hut" buildings that chain used to use. Didn't the Burger King take over that building? Before 2019 it had a sloped roof around its perimeter, but flat on top https://goo.gl/maps/KCMpQXEFFvuB7dcUA

[catcher_of_cats]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Was Earl's even around back then?

I only remember as far back as St. Hubert's. I thought the Pizza Hut was in the same plaza but closer to Barton, housed in one of those "hut" buildings that chain used to use. Didn't the Burger King take over that building? Before 2019 it had a sloped roof around its perimeter, but flat on top https://goo.gl/maps/KCMpQXEFFvuB7dcUA

Pizza Hut was definitely there at the time in the traditional hut building. I have a memory that it was a stand alone building with the burger king in a stand alone building near it.

I remember waiting in line for an hour just to get into pizza hut and then stay there for another hour. I remember doing the same just to get into the swiss chalets in this city. Lucky we have evolved to have more choice.