Downtown Update

[raisethehammer]

yea, I was thinking to myself "what kind of office building are they thinking about?" that's a HUGE footprint. Will it be 45 stories?? No, probably a 3 storey, McMaster style bunker.
Sheesh...hopefully they move ahead now with a smaller one.

[DC83]

Ya, smaller in this hood is better. Lets not take away from the intimate atmosphere of James North.

Sorry rth, I had NO idea that imperial coiffures had ever been open. I've walked up and down that street almost every day for the last two years and haven't seen a soul in there :s

re: Zig Zag Zebra... it has a lot more to do than just a business gone under. The owner was involved in some more serious issues that go beyond the restaurant business. I'm sure he got himself into some trouble, hence why it closed. Same with Rainbow lounge before it. I only had the oportunity to eat there twice, and the food was fantastic. Got a tour of the rest of the building and saw why it was even opened in the 1st place. Think SandBar.

[hmagazine]

Re: Building coming down
123 James St. N. too dangerous

As a business owner on James North, I must say that it is welcome news to hear that 123 James St. N. will soon be demolished. A shell of its former self, this once beautiful late 19th century building has sat empty for close to ten years due to a fire that ripped through its upper floors. Why has the city allowed a building in this condition to remain standing for so long on one of its main streets? Why do we allow absentee building owners from another city the opportunity to sit on their dilapitated properties? This reckless attitude and damaging behaviour should not be tolerated by our city's senior staff and elected officials who promote Hamilton far and wide as a great place to live, work and play. What does it say about our city to investors and visitors when they see burned out buildings in the middle of a historic neighbourhood revitalizing itself? I can tell you what kind of message that sends out - do whatever you want here because we don't care. We are a city who rewards folks like Mr. Silvestro who can afford to play the waiting game. No one at City Hall barked at him to do anything with his building. Thus, giving him the time to convince his neighbours to sell their now devalued properties to him so he can knock down the entire block to build an ill-fitting office tower. He obviously doesn't understand the charm and dynamic of James North if he thinks we need a development like his to bring "more professionals down into that old area". Don't feel sorry for the owner of this problem property, the only folks suffering are the neighbouring businesses across the street who have had to look at this mess for a decade.

Dave Kuruc
Member of the James North Initiative

[FairHamilton]

^ Well said. Here, here!!

[raisethehammer]

great letter Dave.
Yea, I'd really like to know what kind of 'tower' he was planning...that's a HUGE block.

[flar]

I 'm sure he planned a two story building with loads of parking around it.

[Bob Bratina]

The guy who bought the building at John and Augusta is Croatian. Voyo is a super young man who talked to me about the neighbourhood before deciding to buy, and has an excellent business plan for the property.

On 123 James North, (" He says he asked the city for several years for money to help restore the building but was unsuccessful") sometimes things are lost in translation by reporters. I wouldn't count as gospel that he "asked the City for money" because we don't give out money in our Downtown renewal programs. We did meet with Jim on several occasions, outlining what was available but he never made formal application to us for any of them. After those discussions he decided rather than develop, simply to sell the property. Our Downtown Residential Loans Program is just that....not a cash give-away. The Enterprize Program provides for tax breaks upon completion of a building, and our Commercial Property Improvement Grant (CPIG) gives a matching grant for facade improvements. We do provide a limited grant for designated heritage properties Downtown, but 123 James North was not designated. The full list of City incentives is available at www.myhamilton.ca
under City Departments, Projects and Initiatives, Downtown Renewal. The residential loans program has been an outstanding success, generating almost $200 million dollars in development on about $1.3 million dollars applied to the interest on our loans, which have had zero default.

[raisethehammer]

thanks Bob.
Yea, I chatted with Voy yesterday. Great guy. He loves the neighbourhood and seems to know what he's doing.
I think his working name for the place at this point is "Street Meat BBQ".

[Jon Dalton]

Speaking of John and Augusta, I often gaze over at the parking lot on the southwest corner and wonder why it isn't bought up and developed. In an established pub area like this wouldn't that just be a slam dunk of a project? I'm thinking bar/restaurant on the lower level with high end quality apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

[markbarbera]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

thanks Bob.
Yea, I chatted with Voy yesterday. Great guy. He loves the neighbourhood and seems to know what he's doing.
I think his working name for the place at this point is "Street Meat BBQ".

The name 'Street Meat' would infer that it's going to be a take-away place. Will there be seating or just counter service?

[raisethehammer]

both, seating and counter service.

[FairHamilton]

I hope he can think up a better name.

[DC83]

Ya great name... for a hot dog stand!! haha

Not really a 'downtown' update, but one from one of my favourite inner-city villages:
Pepe Panini Sandwiches has just opened in the Main/Kenilworth Village (ps I just made that name up since I don't think it has one?) on Main near Barons Ave.

This area is already quite busy and full of pedestrian activity. Only thing it needs is more patio space. Aceti's patio is always empty
Once LRT stops here, watch out! Could be another inner-city real estate hot spot!

[flar]

^^I agree, I think the whole area from the Detla eastward has a lot (perhaps the most) to gain from LRT. Plenty of storefronts along Main and King. The houses out towards Kenilworth and Parkdale may not have the Victorian grandeur of those in the west part of the city, but they are solid houses and the prices are good.

[DC83]

^^ They're fantastic starter homes, that's for sure.
My brother's friend bought one just N/ Main on Weird and it's a perfect size for a young professional. Very walkable, has everything one would need on Main.
Rosedale, however, is the starter-home mecca of Hamilton IMO anyway.

[fastcarsfreedom]

Rosedale is a great area - my dad grew up there - my grandparents bought a house on Cochrane when it was new -- actually a "suburban" subdivision at the time.

[MsMe]

One problem with Rosedale area now is depending how close to the Redhill Hwy you are due to noise etc. But it has been the most desirable and higher priced locations in the east end areas over the years.

[DC83]

Originally Posted by fastcarsfreedom

Rosedale is a great area - my dad grew up there - my grandparents bought a house on Cochrane when it was new -- actually a "suburban" subdivision at the time.

Although most houses are new'ish, as Flar has pointed out in the past, Rosedale (aka Bartonville) is one of the oldest communities in Hamilton. Check out the cemetery there! Needs a better commercial base along King St tho, imo.

[MsMe]

If you are refering to the cemetery on King and Bell Ave. Yea those are really old graves. We used to play there in that cemetery when we were kids. We used to scare the crap out of one my friends and we would hide behind these big stones and put our hands around the stones to make it look like a hand was coming out of the grave, and tell her it was a hand from the grave trying to grab her. Then my friend would run home screaming. I know we were so bad. LOL

[bornagainbiking]

Originally Posted by MsMe

One problem with Rosedale area now is depending how close to the Redhill Hwy you are due to noise etc. But it has been the most desirable and higher priced locations in the east end areas over the years.

Rosedale is the hidden treasure of Hamilton. As for the Redhill sometimes you can hear a big truck on the RHVP but as the trees thicken after the valley work it will deaden the sound (think DVP). For the downside, but the upside is the new Kenilworth Stairs (stairmaster)and the Valley itself (treadmill). Skate at the Rosedale arena. Great area for a family except closing the separate school. HSR Bus runs thru every 10 mins in the morning.

Like going to to grandmothers house you can trot thru the valley and over the RHVP to the 24 hr store at Mount Albion and Greenhill.

The new road I can get to Pearson in 40 mins on a Sat afternoon. Or the new Upper Stoney Creek Home Depot/Silver city in what 5 mins. So will commuters use this as the new base.

Most definately the area could use some new business as the King/Rosedale plaza is limited and the BARN there is soooooooooooooo slow.....

Did I mention that the new Centre Mall is only 5 mins going down Kenilworth...

So yes it is a great starter or empty nest area.