Downtown Update

[movingtohamilton]

You're not missing anything, but I suspect the passenger profile today is very different than in the era of that historical photo.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

^ Last I remembered Silvestri Investments owns the property. They built Cityview Terrace, Napier and Caroline.

Oh grrrrreat!

Just look at the magnificence that is Cityview Terrace:

Miserable, bland, vaguely suburban...complete with 'nature band aid.'

Yet another property speculator - buy it; raze it; pave it; sit on it.

[thistleclub]

Notice of Public Meeting for the Revitalization of Durand Park
Thursday April 4 / 6-8pm
YWCA Auditorium, Senior's Active Living Centre, 75 MacNab St. S., Hamilton

Via the Durand Neighbourhood Association:

We have an opportunity to get this right and create the best urban park in the City. We need your feedback and the only way you can do that is to get involved. This is going to be an amazing evening. We will have idea boards, short presentations, and small group breakout sessions led by Durand stakeholders. This is the first step but the most important in creating the design of the Park. To see the DNA’s presentation from 2008 and get yourself up to speed, visit our website www.durandna.com, go to the Project page, and click on Durand Park.

From Public Works' information flyer:

Durand Park (approximately 0.7 hectares) is located in the heart of the Durand Neighbourhood, bounded by Charlton Avenue West, Herkimer Street, Bay Street South and Park Street South, in Ward 2.

This Public Information Centre (PIC) is established to obtain confirmation of comments and ideas presented by the Durand Neighbourhood Association (DNA) towards the revitalization of the park. The PIC procedure will begin with a brief presentation at 6:00 pm followed by a breakout-group/round-table discussion for 36 minutes. After which, a short presentation will be heard from each break-out group to highlight comments, and followed by a summary of next steps. Bring your creative ideas and magazine cut-outs of images to assist with discussions.

[thistleclub]

Yard sale flashback! Here's a 1982 feature on downtown Hamilton planning. One of the sidebars contains the following gem:

“The concept of organic growth is not new; Jane Jacobs in her 1960 book, The Life and Death of American Cities, cried out against "urban cataclysms" and for the fostering of lively streets to make communities. Her ideas are now widely accepted. Even Emile Mashaal, vice-president of Yale Properties Ltd. (developers and managers of Jackson Square), has been influenced by her.”

[Dr Awesomesauce]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

What so many are pushing for now - heritage conservation, public transport, walkable streets, 'green' alternative BS - were front-burner topics ten, twenty, thirty years ago. There might be a little more momentum this time around, however.

It should be noted, though, that the PC government under Bill Davis were really big proponents of public transport. They pushed what would become the SkyTrain on us only to be turned down by the City - classic Hamilton move there. You see what I mean? The more things change...

[Pearlstreet]

Target date for the new Nations Supermarket in Jackson Square, was May of 2013! Hopefully this is still on track!

[matt602]

It's not. The last thing I read put it back a month to June. I also got a peak through a door last week and it doesn't look like it's anywhere near opening yet. Still concrete and steel, not even resembling a store yet. No aisles, freezers, etc.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce

It should be noted, though, that the PC government under Bill Davis were really big proponents of public transport. They pushed what would become the SkyTrain on us only to be turned down by the City - classic Hamilton move there.

Speaking of which, here's more from the earlier flea haul.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Thanks for that. I'd love to read what the papers and magazines were saying about these things 30-40 years ago. Probably some real deja vu. I'll read that article more carefully tomorrow.

I should say that I'm generally not big on elevated transit. Vancouver seems to have made it work - a lot of it is underground, however. It's been fairly effective in the squalid metropolises of Asia (e.g. Bangkok, Manila, etc.) as well. In Detroit and Seattle, the systems haven't been very successful for various reasons. I think Miami's has enjoyed slightly more success, though I'm not entirely sure about that. Who knows how things would have worked out here.

[Pearlstreet]

Bernie Morelli stated last night that the King Street and Cannon Street Fire sites will finally begin clean-up May 1st. Room for new development!

[realcity]

Morelli tweated a new restaurant is opening in Barton Village just east of Sanford

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Bernie Morelli tweets? Weird.

[SteelTown]

Downtown BIA launches Oktoberfest on Labour Day weekend

http://www.thespec.com/living/food/artic...unches-oktoberfest-on-labour-day-weekend

Get out the lederhosen and dirndls. Hamilton is reviving its downtown Labour Day weekend festival.

It takes place Friday, Aug. 30 and Saturday, Aug. 31 and the theme, albeit early on the calendar, is Oktoberfest.

The International Village BIA announced the festival Friday. Denninger’s Foods of the World is the main sponsor, although businesses throughout the BIA will be taking part.

Oktoberfest will run from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Aug. 30 and noon to 11 p.m. on Aug. 31. It will feature a food pavilion with varied international fare at Ferguson Station, while Ferguson between King Street and King William will be closed to traffic for a beer garden and entertainment stage.

The entertainment headliners are Steven Page, former lead singer of Barenaked Ladies, on Friday night and Hamilton band Poor Angus on Saturday. They recently finished in the top four out of 3,000 bands in the CBC Searchlight contest. There will also be other local bands and oompah music throughout the two days.

Oktoberfest replaces the Mustard Festival, which was retired two years ago after a successful 14-year run.

“There was a large outcry from the public for a downtown event,” said BIA executive director Susie Braithwaite. “We feel this is a good fit with the international theme of the area and businesses such as Denninger’s and Black Forest Inn.”

Braithwaite said Oktoberfest will not conflict with Burlington’s Ribfest held the same long weekend, since it runs all four days while Hamilton’s festival is one night and one day.

For more details on Oktoberfest, go to hamiltoninternationalvillage.ca.

[thistleclub]

Get out the lederhosen and dirndls. Hamilton is reviving its downtown Labour Day weekend festival.

It takes place Friday, Aug. 30 and Saturday, Aug. 31 and the theme, albeit early on the calendar, is Oktoberfest.

Not entirely unheard of.

[ihateittoo]

We want mustardfest! We want mustardfest!

[matt602]

Oooh, sehr gut! Although I do miss mustardfest too.

[HillStreetBlues]

Will there be beer?

Does anyone happen to know what is going on at the Shell gas station on Dundurn just south of Main? Heavy equipment has been operating for about a week there- the pumps have been removed and asphalt torn up.

They added a car wash not too long ago, so it seems unlikely that it is being shut down as a gas station. I expect simply new pumps and tarmac, but I can hope.

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by HillStreetBlues

Will there be beer?...

Likely, but only inside a barbed-wire compound ("beer tent") with 500 security guards. Although Ontario relaxed its laws, permitting "walking-with-a-beer", that activity might lead to having a good time. Frowned on in Ontario.

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[drpgq]

There's a building permit out in front of the old porn theater on King St across from Gore Park. Apparently a MoneyMart type business is going in and they're leaving the top two floors which are theaters vacant.

One thing I don't understand is why you wouldn't at least try to renovate the upper floors into apartments. You would probably get around $1 per square foot per month for residential around there. Same with above Cheapies.