Downtown Update

[Frankenrogers]

I don't know if the roof is solid. I walked by it last night and thought that I could see the sky through the windows. Although, I could be thinking of the Herkimer house near Locke.

[markbarbera]

From what I understand, the fire traveled from the basement to the top floor through the double-bricked exterior walls. Seeing as buildings from this period used timber support beams, this does not bode well for salvage-ability. You are looking at a building that may still have brick outline, but now has compromised support beams. If ti can be saved, it would be a very expensive undertaking. I hope the owners had good insurance coverage on the building.

[ihateittoo]

Well it looks like they want to try:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/n...burned-out-pasadena-apartments-1.2549814

'Our preference would be to repair it and have everything go back to the status quo.'- David Nevins, vice-president of CLV Group

[matt602]

Originally Posted by Frankenrogers

I don't know if the roof is solid. I walked by it last night and thought that I could see the sky through the windows. Although, I could be thinking of the Herkimer house near Locke.

No, you're right. The roof is destroyed. I was just referring to the actual brick and mortar shell of the building. Anything built of wood or plaster was definitely destroyed. I'm pretty sure that more than half of the roof completely burned through or collapsed.

[lucasmascotto]

HECFI privatization spurs legal showdown
The Hamilton /spectator
By: Matthew Van Dongen

Unionized ex-HECFI workers are seeking "thousands and thousands" of dollars in compensation over the "messy" privatization of the city's money-losing entertainment venues.

The city turned over Copps Coliseum, Hamilton Place and the convention centre to private operators last year to try to end millions of dollars in public subsidies for the aging facilities. Global Spectrum took over the two performance venues while Carmen's manages the convention centre. Both promised to honour existing collective agreements.

But the union representing 11 maintenance and electrical workers for the venues says its members have been effectively "locked out" of the convention centre as a result of a "messy" contract dispute between Global Spectrum, Carmen's and the city.

"Our people are caught in the middle of this while the city and (the operators) point fingers at each other," said Greg Hoath of Local 772 of the International Union of Operating Engineers. As a result, he said the union has filed grievances over alleged lost work and is also pursuing damages at the Ontario Labour Relations Board from both companies and the city.

"The city has been publicly patting itself on the back for this deal – but apparently it's not willing to enforce its provisions," Hoath said. He suggested the celebrated money-saving privatization could spur "thousands and thousands" in legal costs and potential compensation orders for the city.

Local Global Spectrum spokesperson Scott Warren declined to comment Tuesday on the "ongoing legal matter." Similarly, Hamilton Convention Centre by Carmen's spokesperson Debby Russ said she couldn't comment on "transition-related issues" without jeopardizing a hoped-for resolution "in the near future." The company has hired retired city treasurer Tony Tollis, who helped broker the HECFI privatization, as a consultant.

In formal responses to the labour board application, however, both companies acknowledge they haven't reached a "shared services agreement" required under the facilities management contract signed by all parties, including the city.

Global Spectrum argues it is owed "charge back" payments from Carmen's in return for "lending" unionized maintenance workers to the convention centre.

Carmen's labour board reply denies locking out workers but noted they refused to acknowledge the convention centre as their employer. It concludes the "sharing" of unionized maintenance workers is "untenable."

The city says it no longer has a legal obligation to the union following the privatized management agreement – or the authority to enforce contract provisions.

"It's really up to the (labour) board to ensure the parties are honouring their obligations," said city labour relations director Lora Fontana, later adding the city would provide "support" to the union as a hearing intervener, if possible.

"I don't think the board will let the city off the hook that easily," said Hoath, noting he originally asked the city to keep his members on the public payroll to avoid confusion.

"The city brokered this agreement, signed this agreement and still owns the facilities, but they have no way to intervene? I disagree. I think they could pull the plug (on the agreement.)"

Councillor Scott Duvall, a former steelworkers union leader, said he's trying to arrange for council to talk about the long-running dispute.

"We were told this was a smooth transition (to private operators) and it turns out that wasn't the case," he said. "Now it looks like we've left these workers in a very awkward position."

Councillor Sam Merulla said he doesn't think the city should be liable for the contractual dispute between private businesses. But he added the "optics are terrible" that the city's former top staffer on the file is now advising Carmen's.

[CaptainKirk]

Dan Jelly ‏@KingAndJames 5h
This is news: building where Sirloin Cellar was has been sold and new owner will restore/reuse. #hamont


Joey Coleman ‏@JoeyColeman 5h
Core Urban purchased the building that housed Sirloin Cellar on James North btwn King and King William - Heritage Cmte.



Joey Coleman ‏@JoeyColeman 5h
Confirmed at Heritage Cmte:
@ChucksBurgerBar is opening downtown at Hughson and King William

[Dr Awesomesauce]

More great news! Waiting for news on the corner shop (King and James). With Mac on the other corner, that block/ intersection is slowly taking shape.

[Jon Dalton]

Wow, I guess the owners of the Sirloin Cellar finally threw in the towel. That is sad.

At least the City is not playing favourites and they're equally putting the screws to their own tenants at the Lister Block steakhouse.

I don't blame the owners for giving up. Dealing with the city is only worth the risk to your health up to a point.

[davidcappi]

Keeping my fingers crossed for that corner building to be fixed up. It's in rough shape though. The outside is totally cracked, and you can see right into the upstairs and it's a total wreck.

That is my usual variety store though, so I hope he stays

[Katrillion]

Which building will Chucks be in? The variety store or the one with the new elevator shaft? (Hopefully the variety store so that they can fix that building up)

[Jon Dalton]

I heard the owner of the variety store and former Reardon's is trying to get everyone out of the building so they can fix it up and charge more. If that's the case I don't think they would be doing a new lease at this point.

[coalminecanary]

chucks is going into the empire building (exposed elevator shaft renovation)

[HillStreetBlues]

I can't recall if the Shopper's Drug Mart proposal for King and Dundurn has been discussed here before, but Raise the Hammer had a good write-up the other day after the last public meeting. It is being sent to the Ontario Municipal Board.

Very disappointing proposal, and even more disappointing that the OMB may well approve it with little further public input. I sometimes find it difficult to sympathize with residents who oppose a piece of development because they think it will increase traffic on their street, but this one is bad in many ways. It's extremely frustrating to see the King streetwall not only not progressing very quickly, but in cases like this one, actually being made worse.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^A proposal fit for a highway service road. Yes, disappointing indeed. But then that's what that section of King has turned into. A shame.

[HillStreetBlues]

Fit for a highway service road is dead right.

This is King Street: that intersection is already one of the busier transit hubs in the city. One day it will have a light rail station there. It's bad enough that, now, it's a KFC; a drive-through; a gas station; and a bill board for an ambulance chaser with a goat path underneath it. At least there's hope for improvement. If all a sudden one of the corners has a brand new "drive thru" and massive parking lot on it, we don't even have any hope.

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by HillStreetBlues

Fit for a highway service road is dead right.

This is King Street: that intersection is already one of the busier transit hubs in the city. One day it will have a light rail station there. It's bad enough that, now, it's a KFC; a drive-through; a gas station; and a bill board for an ambulance chaser with a goat path underneath it. At least there's hope for improvement. If all a sudden one of the corners has a brand new "drive thru" and massive parking lot on it, we don't even have any hope.

Not saying that any of the businesses at that corner are good or bad but most of them have been there for a very long time. A gas station has been on that corner for probably 75 years. That billboard has been there almost as long. I remember seeing a picture of my father under the sign there when he was a kid back in the 30's.

The location of the proposed Shoppers was a paving company yard when I was a kid growing up in that area.The corner where the drive thru is was a run down apartment block with stores at ground level. The KFC has been there probably 30 years and before that it was a parking lot for a church down the street on Dundurn. As for the Fortino's plaza it is way better than what was originally there, Slater steel. Slater took up almost the whole block of land except for a few houses located on Dundurn. The place was loud and smelled.

[Jon Dalton]

I would like to see what the apartment block at King and Dundurn looked like.

The new Shoppers proposal looked good to me until I realized the whole front was massive parking. If they just built to the street (more or less) and had parking behind that would alleviate so much opposition and allow the developers what they want as well.

What complicates that otherwise easy fix is that the have townhouses to the rear adjoining the main building with a balcony over top. How they got this through zoning is a feat in itself but it doesn't allow parking in between the building and the townhouses. Building both uses together also makes it more energy efficient and economical as more systems can be shared.

They wouldn't put the parking in front of the townhouses because noone would buy into that kind of environment to live in. Yet we're all expected to deal with it at street level at one of our most iconic (and known to be dangerous) intersections. There must be a better way.

[HillStreetBlues]

Thank you, bigguy, for the history. I guess I shouldn’t be characterizing anything as bad, either, but just because something is a better use than something else, doesn’t mean there aren’t better uses still, and uses on which we should insist. A strip mall with a sea of parking is better than a steel factory, definitely, but it’s not suitable for a busy intersection near the downtown of a large city (and one planned for transit-oriented development in the future). I’ve got no problem with KFC, but if it were on the ground floor of a mid-rise residential building, that would be a much better and more efficient use than single-story retail set back from the street behind parking.

What I truly cannot understand is why the land isn’t worth more. Surely this should be a prime intersection to develop into retail and residential, and the opportunity cost of having a parking lot or a low-rise retail building would be really high…

The article on Raise the Hammer mentions that Tim Horton’s is guaranteed not only to keep its drive-through (I don’t understand how), but also unobstructed visibility to King, which means the Shoppers building cannot be built to the street. That leads me to believe that the reason the retail and residential buildings were built together in the first place was because the retail had to be set back so far. The logical thing would be for the townhouses to be built to the street, and the Shoppers to be built to the street, and some parking to be between them both. The owners of Tim Horton’s will not accept that because of reduced visibility.

[bigguy1231]

Just to add to what I mentioned in my earlier post. In the location of the Pioneer gas bar there was a factory/ warehouse for the billboard company E.L. Ruddy. It was a 30 foot high and about 100 foot long brick building with no windows facing King St, just an entrance in the centre.

[ScreamingViking]

Slater Steel... I'd forgotten all about that plant but have vague memories from childhood. It came right up to Dundurn didn't it? And was gone in the early '80s?

It's a shame that the Hortons dictated what could happen on the north-east corner. I could imagine a redevelopment where they would have had the corner unit in a 2-3 storey building incorporating the SDM, with the drive-thru running behind (which is exactly what the site plan proposes now)