Hamilton Waterfront

[davidcappi]

Based on Matt's tweet about Pier 8 today, looks like city staff have made a recommendation. Another clue is that the Discovery Centre will not be part of the Pier 8 bid, so to me that tell's me Urban Capital/Core Urban/Milborne Group must've lost its bid, since there bid was the only one that had plans to incorporate the Discovery Centre.

https://twitter.com/Mattatthespec/st...46035612884992

I've heard Waterfront Shores won.

[LRTfan]

Originally Posted by davidcappi

I've heard Waterfront Shores won.

Can you imagine?? I fully expected Tridel or Urban Core to win as they were the most boring. Will Hamilton get it right?? We find out in a week.

[King&James]

Still like Gulf Dream package best, just want to see it built by teams that will actually move on it

[realcity]

Originally Posted by LRTfan

Can you imagine?? I fully expected Tridel or Urban Core to win as they were the most boring. Will Hamilton get it right?? We find out in a week.

that would be awesome. I didn't like Core's boring but expected that one. Waterfront shores is like a florida development. I hope so. Johns Pass a boardwalk or something in Hamilton would be great.

[realcity]

Originally Posted by King&James

Still like Gulf Dream package best, just want to see it built by teams that will actually move on it

Great Gulf are good builders if they won they would move on it. It's also fine time that Great Gulf started building n Hamilton.

[LRTfan]

yes, gulf dream and waterfront shores were my 2 faves as well. I suspect that was the case with most people.

[davidcappi]

Waterfront Shores won.

[anactualalien]

Fantastic news. Glad the local-above-all-else crowd didn't get us stuck with a decidedly mediocre bid.

Like realcity, I hope Great Gulf sticks around, perhaps even for a future pier.

[davidcappi]

From the city's website:

Quick facts about The Waterfront Shores Corporation

Core team members: Cityzen Development Corporation, Fernbrook Homes Group, GFL Environmental Inc., Greybrook Realty Partners Inc.

Architectural design team: KPMB Architects, gh3 Inc., Omar Gandhi Architect, superkül

1,292 condominium units spread across 20 separate buildings. At-grade townhouses located on all 8 residential blocks

65 units (5%) will be administered as affordable housing by Habitat for Humanity Hamilton who will ensure continuity of affordability for at least 15 years. 100% of these affordable units will be 2-bedroom or larger and distributed throughout the development

6,440 m2 of commercial space primarily categorized as street-level retail. Themed retail zones include fitness/health & wellness, social eateries, a fresh food market, and personal services. Proponent has committed to tenanting retail premises exclusively with local operators

A public community hub proposed for institutionally zoned Block 16 (north-west corner of subject lands, adjacent to former Discovery Centre). Proponent will engage an experienced community hub administrator to help develop a refined vision of desired uses, establish an appropriate operating and funding model, and help identify appropriate operating partners

40% of the total site area will be publicly accessible open space. The design and siting of the buildings will add approximately 1.6 kilometres of additional walkable landscape connecting to the City-owned network of parks and rights-of-way at the waterfront

Targeting LEED Gold certification and WELL Building certification which focuses on occupants’ and users’ health and wellness

Goal to eliminate natural gas consumption through tactics such as wastewater heat recovery, geothermal heating/cooling, solar photovoltaics and battery storage micro-grids

Proposed partnership with Ontario Centres of Excellence to incubate and fund Hamilton-based start-ups focused on intelligent-city and green technologies, inviting them to use Pier 8 as a testing and showcase platform

Demonstrated support from LiUNA Local 837 (Hamilton chapter).

https://www.hamilton.ca/government-infor...t-shores-corporation-preferred-proponent

[LRTfan]

absolute game-changer for Hamilton. This is going to be fantastic.

[King&James]

With only 1200 units and at a minimum 2 year build time, hope WS makes all buildings available on first day of approval. Let's see this whole thing come together in under 30 months.

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by King&James

With only 1200 units and at a minimum 2 year build time, hope WS makes all buildings available on first day of approval. Let's see this whole thing come together in under 30 months.

That could be good or bad. Good in terms of affordability of the city, because a ton of new housing is being built, but also bad because depending on the population growth it could take a huge chunk of the new homebuyers in the area.

I doubt these will be cheap being right against the water like that surrounded by a park and a 10 minute bike ride to the Go.

[LRTfan]

anyone have any idea of the proposed construction plan or timeline?

[SteelTown]

Nice, based on the details it seems like the winning proposal has the whole package, retail, residential, affordable housing, and even jobs with the Ontario Centres of Excellence idea.

[SteelTown]

City recommends ‘Waterfront Shores’ consortium to buy, redevelop Pier 8
Proposal includes building 1,300 condo units and features North End native Bruce Kuwabara as a lead architect.

https://www.thespec.com/news-story/86552...ores-consortium-to-buy-redevelop-pier-8/

Hamilton is poised to negotiate the sale and redevelopment of Pier 8 into a new 1,300-home harbourside community with the Waterfront Shores consortium.

Councillors considered the results of the high-profile request for proposal process behind closed doors Wednesday before publicly endorsing the staff-recommended developer. The decision must be ratified by council in a final vote on June 13.

City project lead Chris Phillips called the decision a "key milestone" on the road to realizing the city's decades-old dream of growing an entirely new community from scratch on the former industrial pier.

"We can now say that shovels will be going in the ground," he said, later adding construction on condominiums and townhomes could start in 2019.

The recommended consortium includes North End native Bruce Kuwabara as a lead architect on the proposal and is expected to include 1,292 condo units spread across 20 buildings, including townhouses on all residential blocks.

"Themed" street-level retail is expected to include fitness, restaurants, a fresh food market and personal services, with the consortium committing to filling those eventual businesses with "local operators."

Mayor Fred Eisenberger called the pending pier transformation the "culmination of nearly 30 years of political and financial commitments from past and present councils." Ward Coun. Jason Farr trumpeted the proposal as one that "reflects our city's values and our city's vision."

Early online reaction included resident compliments about building and park design. But it also suggested affordable housing advocates were hoping for more.

The chosen proposal also includes 65 affordable housing units administered by Habitat for Humanity — or equivalent to the five-percent minimum set by council. "Not good enough," tweeted Beasley resident and social researcher Mike Borelli.

Activist Matt Jelly called the minimum commitment to affordable units — which are guaranteed for a finite 15-year time frame — an "insult."

"The city owns all the land and is in a position to do better."

A "community hub" is also pitched for the block beside the Discovery Centre — but Phillips emphasized the proposed land sale does not include the harbourside building. Council previously provoked public backlash by voting to explore selling the building as part of the pier RFP.

An ongoing lawsuit between the city and former Discovery Centre tenant Sarcoa also hangs over the ambitious pier plan. Sarcoa co-owner Sam Destro said Wednesday he believes his restuarant's lease is still valid — which includes parking spaces that sit within the planned pier redevelopment.

The financial payoff to the city for the impending sale of 14 acres on the pier is not yet public.

A consultant previously estimated the value of the city's various west harbour properties at close to $40 million, including the pier but also Barton-Tiffany lands and nearby social housing properties.

A council ratification vote next week is expected to kick-start negotiations with Waterfront Shores over details like a construction time frame for the nine city-owned development blocks on the pier.

That timeline is still muddled thanks to an ongoing Ontario Municipal Board appeal by residents and industrial neighbours of the pier that could stretch into late 2018.

[LRTfan]

my goodness...I went back through all their presentation panels and read every word, and matched up the locations on the various blocks with their descriptions, and this plan, if built according to spec, is going to be incredible. It is on par with the best waterfronts around the world that I've seen.

Now to get more trees and pathways added to the giant empty grassy space around the skating rink, and 2-3 new restaurants/eateries into the Discovery Centre to take advantage of their ample outdoor patio space on the N and W sides of the building.

Also, according to the city's press release on this bid, the total purchase price will come in at $41 million.
So all these whiners demanding a few more affordable housing units at Pier 8 are about to be gob-smacked when they see the amount of money the city will be able to take from this sale, and leverage it into hundreds of new affordable units in partnership with someone like Creative Housing or other housing providers. This is a fantastic land sale by the city, and will result in far more city-building due to the steep purchase price. Mandating half of Pier 8 to be affordable housing would have drastically lowered the amount of money the city could sell the land for. But as is usually the case, the social media warriors aren't that up on economics and real-life $ issues.

[NortheastWind]

Good point. Let's hope the City does just that.
Affordable housing is Fred Eisenberger's mandate after all.

[anactualalien]

I thought I saw something about discovery centre being in play with a potential height increase? Personally I'd be happy to see something taller than the rest go up on that corner.

[LRTfan]

Originally Posted by anactualalien

I thought I saw something about discovery centre being in play with a potential height increase? Personally I'd be happy to see something taller than the rest go up on that corner.

I'm not sure what the plan is there, but that huge piece of land certainly does look like a waste with a 1-storey building on it compared to the rest of the development.

[hamilton23]

YES!!!! My favorite proposal. Tridel and Great Gulf are obviously established developers in Ontario, but the team behind this proposal is the same team behind the beautiful Pier 27 Development on the Waterfront in Downtown Toronto.

I lived in Downtown Toronto for several years and this was my favorite development. Almost moved there a few times. The units are spectacular and developers pride themselves on high quality craftsmanship and construction. Ditto with their Architect.

Their design is similar to the development i'm referring to in Toronto. If they do indeed build this, it would be a game changer for Pier 8 and the waterfront!