Airport Employment Growth District (AEGD)

[thistleclub]

Among Hamilton’s nine existing business parks:

“Airport Business Park is located in the southern portion of the City of Hamilton, above the Escarpment. The lands have a gross site area of approximately 735 acres primarily located on the west side of Highway No. 6, east of the Hamilton International Airport.”

[thistleclub]

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.

[thistleclub]

There are a couple of editorial bookends to the above story in today’s Spectator. One deals with the Stoney Creek Business Park and East Hamilton Industrial Area, the other with the Hamilton Technology Centre and Flamborough Business Park:

Hamilton industrial parks: Finding growth in a full market
(Hamilton Spectator, Lisa Grace Marr, Dec 30 2013)

Tech incubator is hatching winners
(Hamilton Spectator, Lisa Grace Marr, Dec 30 2013)

[Beedok]

The one thing I like about the AEGD is that it might help turn Hamilton's focus further from Toronto to help end the claims of Hamilton being a suburb of TO. (Also it might scoop up more commuters from the south)

[Beedok]

Offices have higher density of jobs than factories. I'm sure that some of those will eventually be Hamiton bound.

[thistleclub]

Council wants bigger aerotropolis
(CATCH, Mar 19 2014)

The majority of city council has again over-ruled its staff and enlarged the aerotropolis, and this time is also thumbing its nose at the Ontario Municipal Board. A decision debated in secret council session endorses option 1A as the city’s boundary configuration position but also orders the addition of a disconnected 9 hectare property owned by the Ancaster Christian Reformed Church.

It’s the second time council has arbitrarily added the church land at Garner and Fiddler’s Green to the airport employment growth district (AEGD). The first came in October 2010 as a last minute addition to the plan developed by staff over several years and against their recommendation.

That enlargement of the AEGD was not defended by city consultants and lawyers at the subsequent OMB hearings. The initial position they put forward was for the same 662 net hectares originally proposed by staff, and by the time the hearings were completed they had reduced that to 555 net hectares.

The next phase of the OMB hearings, scheduled for November, will determine which 555 hectares will be included in the urban boundary expansion. In preparation, staff presented a consultant review and recommendations that in its executive summary specifically identifies the “disconnected area identified by council at the intersection of Garner and Fiddler’s Green Road” as inappropriate.

The report goes on to explain that “being located west of Highway 6, it creates a disjointed land use pattern” and that it was “not addressed in the 2010 Secondary Plan or supporting materials.” It also points out the land are “not readily accessible from Highway 6 and servicing will likely require significant upgrades to current systems.”

Exactly how council dismissed those objections is unknown because they chose to debate the boundary configuration in camera – first of all at the February 18 planning committee meeting, and then again at the subsequent full council gathering that approved the addition with councillors Johnson, McHattie and Clark opposed. The wording of the resulting resolution is identical to the one approved in 2010.


Read it in full here.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

Council wants bigger aerotropolis
(CATCH, Mar 19 2014)

The majority of city council has again over-ruled its staff and enlarged the aerotropolis, and this time is also thumbing its nose at the Ontario Municipal Board. A decision debated in secret council session endorses option 1A as the city’s boundary configuration position but also orders the addition of a disconnected 9 hectare property owned by the Ancaster Christian Reformed Church.

It’s the second time council has arbitrarily added the church land at Garner and Fiddler’s Green to the airport employment growth district (AEGD). The first came in October 2010 as a last minute addition to the plan developed by staff over several years and against their recommendation.

That enlargement of the AEGD was not defended by city consultants and lawyers at the subsequent OMB hearings. The initial position they put forward was for the same 662 net hectares originally proposed by staff, and by the time the hearings were completed they had reduced that to 555 net hectares.

The next phase of the OMB hearings, scheduled for November, will determine which 555 hectares will be included in the urban boundary expansion. In preparation, staff presented a consultant review and recommendations that in its executive summary specifically identifies the “disconnected area identified by council at the intersection of Garner and Fiddler’s Green Road” as inappropriate.

The report goes on to explain that “being located west of Highway 6, it creates a disjointed land use pattern” and that it was “not addressed in the 2010 Secondary Plan or supporting materials.” It also points out the land are “not readily accessible from Highway 6 and servicing will likely require significant upgrades to current systems.”

Exactly how council dismissed those objections is unknown because they chose to debate the boundary configuration in camera – first of all at the February 18 planning committee meeting, and then again at the subsequent full council gathering that approved the addition with councillors Johnson, McHattie and Clark opposed. The wording of the resulting resolution is identical to the one approved in 2010.


Read it in full here.

Much obliged for this.

[flar]

Why does Hamilton even have staff? Apparently council has everything under control, they don't need recommendations from experts. No need for lengthy reports, months of study, or any long term planning. A few people can just eyeball it and figure out the best course of action for the city with a few minutes of discussion behind closed doors. Lowly residents probably wouldn't understand their logic anyways.

[Beedok]

If it works Haldimand County will be Hamilton's for the taking. IF it works...

[Dr Awesomesauce]

And so it begins...

Honestly, I find the whole thing extraordinarily tedious. Wake me when the billboards start going up advertising homes under $259,999.

[SteelTown]

Battle over Hamilton’s aerotropolis is over

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/52...polis-is-over/

The battle over the largest urban boundary expansion in Hamilton's history is finally over.

Councillors approved a proposed Ontario Municipal Board settlement agreement at a special council meeting Wednesday designed to end a decade of disagreement over the contentious Airport Employment Growth District.

"It's nice to finally have a settlement," said Mayor Fred Eisenberger, who presided over the original council debate on the so-called aerotropolis during his first spin as head of council from 2006-10.

"This (settlement) prevents any kind of residential incursion in the employment lands, which I think is the bottom line for many people."

The city finally won OMB permission in 2013 to allow hundreds of hectares of farmland around the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to be used as factories, warehouses and offices meant to create thousands of jobs and $50 million in new taxes over time.

But various property owners in the area appealed the boundaries of the 555-hectare urban boundary expansion, setting up an expected six week, $250,000 OMB hearing in February.

"Now it's finally done after 11 years," said Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson, whose ward encompasses some of the soon-to-be employment lands.

The final agreement involved "quite a lot of land swapping," he said, although not all of the details will be public until after the settlement is approved next month.

Public changes approved last night include including two farm properties on Southcote Road. Deals with Silvestri Investments and Twenty Road West Group were not made public.

[SteelTown]

Development firm spends $27M on Hamilton airport land eyed for big warehouse
Builder’s clients include Canadian Tire, Coca-Cola, BMW, Suncor, Carlton Cards and Loblaw.

https://www.thespec.com/news-story/9...big-warehouse/

A large industrial warehouse developer has become the first major investor in Hamilton's airport employment lands.

Panattoni Development Company has bought 82 acres on the southwest corner of Upper James Street and Dickinson Road for about $27 million.

The firm plans to construct a million-square-foot building and six smaller ones on the site it bought from former senator David Braley.

"In the case of Hamilton, we're confident in the market," Adam Lambros, development manager, said Monday.

The project also represents a major windfall for the city, which would generate about $6 million in development charges with just a 500,000-square-foot build.

"To put that in context, that is significantly larger than the existing Maple Leaf processing plan in Binbrook," said Glen Norton, the city's economic development director.

One of the advantages of the serviced site is proximity to John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, Lambros said.

These days, industrial warehouses are top of mind for online retailers like Amazon and Wayfair that rely on quick delivery, he said.

"Those are the types of companies we try to build for."

Panattoni bills itself as "one of the largest privately held, full-service developers in North America" with more than 24 regional offices in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Some of its clients include Canadian Tire, Coca-Cola, BMW, Suncor, Carlton Cards and Loblaw.

Panattoni is building a million-square-foot manufacturing facility for Adidas Canada in Brant County. It has constructed a 145,000-square-foot "spec flex office" complex in Mississauga that has eight tenants.

Panattoni doesn't yet have tenants for the Hamilton land but is confident it will line some up.

Lambros said the Hamilton area offers a large population within a quick drive, access to highways and a strong labour pool.

"When you check all of those boxes, we thought, 'Why not?'"

Norton said the site plan is expected to be submitted to the city's planning department by the end of November.

The airport employment lands, also known as "aerotropolis," were the subject of an Ontario Municipal Board dispute that ended in February 2015.

The OMB approval green-lighted the 1,360-acre boundary push, which is the largest expansion in Hamilton's history.

The employment district includes city-owned and private parcels within Garner Road, Twenty Road, Upper James Street and Highway 6.

Norton said the remainder of the area's servicing — sewer and water pipes, for instance — is expected to be in place within four years.

"We're tying to accelerate that based on what we think is going to be quite a big demand."

He expects the Panattoni purchase to spark more interest in the area with industrial space in the fast-growing GTA at a premium.

One handicap for Hamilton has been a lack of ready-to-use industrial space. The vacancy rate is less than two per cent, Norton said.

"We've actually missed out on potential new businesses moving to this city because there wasn't space to move into."

Lambros said he hopes to start construction in spring and anticipates the project to take about 15 months.

[LRTfan]

fantastic news! Would be nice to finally see development of this area.

[king10]

City’s per square ft charge for industrial DCs is actually $20.54 but a good chunk is exempted so they only charge $12.54. Thing is if they want to continue to pay for development servicing as per plans in the DC background study, they have to have revenue amounting to the full $20.54. So City is forced to self fund the exemption portion which would otherwise be going to infrastructure. Its a delicate balance between fostering growth and not overburdening the tax payer with funding those exemptions.

Good development none the less. Hopefully we see more of this.

See below for current DC rates.

https://www.hamilton.ca/budget-finan...nd-information

[thistleclub]

33 hectares down, 1,171 hectares to go!

Also: The Braley-owned lands had been in the development pipeline since 1999.

[SteelTown]

Pleased to break ground with Panattoni Canada at its new logistics facility near @flyyhm. Panattoni is investing in #HamOnt as it believes in our community, airport, & Airport Employment Growth District. This means 200 high value, high-paying jobs & increased prosperity for all.




Fred Eisenberger
https://twitter.com/HamiltonsMayor

[LikeHamilton]

Aeropark

http://www.panattonicanada.com/wp-co...Res_spread.pdf

[SteelTown]

Whoa a 1 million sq ft building? That's a beast of a warehouse.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Good news.

[ScreamingViking]

Excerpts with more details, from the Schpec's story on it:


Hamilton airport development launches with $30-million warehouse
Panattoni project marks major milestone in city’s vision for an Airport Employment Growth District
by Tom Hogue
The Hamilton Spectator
October 22, 2019

...

Developer Panattoni officially broke ground Tuesday on a $30-million warehouse it will build even though there is no tenant for the 264,535-square-foot space at 50 Aeropark Blvd.

It's a "speculative" investment, but not the first for the privately held property giant that has 320 million square feet of space across North America and Britain and a Rolodex of clients that includes Coca-Cola, Canadian Tire and Adidas.

"We're building it without a tenant because we've got confidence in the marketplace, we've got confidence in the city," said Panattoni executive vice-president Michael Smele, who noted that 80 per cent of its projects start with a similar build-it-and-they-will-come strategy.

...

Panattoni bought the 82-acre Aeropark site near Upper James Street and Dickenson Road West last year for $27 million with the intention of developing 1.6 million square feet in stages.

The first building is expected to be ready for occupancy in the fall of 2020 as a single warehouse with 44 truck bays or divided up into offices for as many as 200 staff.

Meanwhile, the next Aeropark building is expected to be four times the size of the first at more than 1 million square feet, and will be built in two phases.

...

Though Panattoni is just beginning to develop the 82-acre site, the company is nonetheless buying other property nearby. Smele announced Tuesday that the company is purchasing a 90-acre parcel of land across Dickenson in a $17-million deal expected to close in mid-November.

An unnamed developer is also expected to close a deal in January to buy 140 acres next door on Dickenson, according to Guy Paparella, director of growth planning for the city's Economic Development Department.

...

The next piece of the puzzle is managing truck traffic along Dickenson and around the new warehouse complex, where roughly six million square feet of development is planned between Panattoni and the unidentified developer next door.

To keep trucks off Upper James, an environmental assessment is underway to expand Dickenson to four lanes from two and extend it past Glancaster Road on a new, direct road to Book Road and the Highway 6 bypass.


Full story here